Betrothed by Force
by electricblue1214
Summary: Lucy and Natsu's marriage was arranged. They were strangers that were going to be married in one year. One year. That gives them one year to not be strangers, become friends, and possibly...more than that. A lot of crazy things will happen, but they learn that they bring out the best in each other, and that it's easier to fall in love than you think. Or is it?
1. First Meeting

Betrothed by Force

**Hi! Um, well this is my first multichapter Fairy Tail story, so I hope you like it! If it's good enough, I'll continue it.**

"Miss Lucy!" a voice called, "You're father would like to see you!"

Lucy Heartfilia, the age of nineteen, stood up from her seat as she curiously stepped outside her door.

"What for?" she asked.

"I don't know," the maid replied, "All Juvia heard was that it was important."

Important, yeah, right.

She made her way down the long corridor, stopping at the grand, mahogany door and knocking gently. They opened by two his advisors as she hesitantly walked in, her heels clicking on the marble floor.

"You summoned me, Father?" Lucy Heartfilia asked curiously, a downcast look in her eyes as she looked down at the floor.

Jude Heartfilia never asked for his daughter unless it was something important. After the death of Lucy's mother, him and his daughter had become quite distant in their relationship. He would pile himself up with work to busy himself and forget about the world, his deceased wife, and sadly his daughter, who was a spitting image of her mother. Lucy could barely even look him in the eyes anymore.

The teenaged blonde looked down. She'd been called upon by her father, big CEO of Heartfilia Railways. It was one of those rare occasions that they were in the same room together, let alone even talking amongst each other.

"Yes, Lucy, come here," he beckoned, making her sit at the client's seat of his office.

"What's the issue that you have called upon?" she inquired, "What's so important that you interrupted me of my studies?"

"Lucy, dear, as you know, Heartfilia Railways is the biggest company in all of Fiore. Our rival company, Dragneel Industries, has given us an offer that I couldn't resist. I believe it will benefit us as well as the Dragneels greatly."

"Is that all you wanted to talk about?" Lucy asked, raising an eyebrow at the middle-aged man, "All you wanted to do was to boast about your success? Father, there are clearly a bunch of servants and staff you may brag about to. Why me?"

"Ah, well, you see, Lucy, you play a very important part in this," Jude explained, trying to convince his daughter.

"And why must I play a part in this?" she interrogated furiously, "What have you done that is so important that you have to bring me into this? Answer me!" She was furious now.

"Lucy, you are not allowed to speak to your father like that! I command you to stop this nonsense at once!" he ordered.

"And why should I?" she shot back, choking back tears, "What have you ever done that has helped me!? It's always about your work. You never have time for me anymore, father, and all you expect me to do is be supportive of you?"

"ENOUGH, LUCY!" the businessman bellowed, "Where did you learn such attitude like that? I thought I raised you properly enough to be etiquette! This is not what I deserve!"

"And this isn't what I deserve," Lucy mumbled, "You expect me to be this person that I'm not."

"I've had enough of your whining. Dragneel Industries has offered to merge with Heartfilia Railways. It will make us unstoppable, but there is a catch to this," he informed.

"And what's the catch?" Lucy inquired bluntly, looking at her newly painted cuticles.

"That you be betrothed to their son, Natsu Dragneel. You will be married in one year's time," her father answered.

And that sent Lucy into an uproar. She looked up, angry and furious as the anger that built up inside her might as well just exploded.

"What? Marriage! I refuse, father! I greatly oppose!" she screeched, the maids at their backs cringing at the young maiden's yelling.

"You may not, refuse, Lucy!" he spoke, "For the decision has already been made. You are to be married to Natsu Dragneel whether you like it or not!"

"Natsu Dragneel?" Lucy questioned, "Have you even met him, Father? What if I don't love him!? How can we get married then, huh?"

"You will love him, and you will get married, Lucy! This is final!" he shouted. He turned to his teenaged daughter of nineteen, a young woman, glassy tears in her eyes.

Tears then started to stream down her face. This isn't what she wanted; this isn't what she wanted at all. She wanted to marry someone out of love, trying to keep the possible suitors away by threatening them and weirding them out, which she has done a good job with. This was all because of her father, the greedy man of middle age, obsessed with work, not even caring for his one and only daughter. She hated having to live this misery of her life, preferring rather to be loved than have all the money in the world. How she longed for that opportunity.

"I hate you!" she cried out, her father taken aback with the amount of rage and passion in her voice, "You never think of how I feel! It always has to be about the money, my education, and the suitor to be my husband! What game are you trying to play?! This is an injustice! I refuse to marry this Natsu Dragneel!"

He didn't even flinch. Deep down inside, Jude honestly didn't care.

And she took off, running away crying.

-X-

On the other hand, one would say Natsu Dragneel and his family took things with a more positive approach. He was told around the exact same time as Lucy, but his reaction was totally different.

"Natsu!" a redheaded maid piped up, popping her head into the room of the pinkette, "Your father would like to speak with you!"

"Tell the old man I don't wanna," he whined, burying his face in his pillow, hating that he was awoken from a good nap, an uninterested tone in his voice, "He can deal with my problems later- AH! WHAT THE HECK, ERZA!"

The redhead shook him hard, Natsu jumping from the impact, her an unusual aura emitted out of her that only came when she was angry, which of course, according to Natsu, was a lot.

"Natsu Dragneel! I will not withstand your immaturity any longer! Your father demands to see you now, even if I must drag you to his office!" she barked a furious shout, Natsu's regaining his posture and standing like one of the soldiers that guarded his house up front.

"Aye, sir!" he wailed cowardly, "I-I'll report to my father this instant!"

He sprinted to the hallway of his father's office, barging in loudly, an unfazed look on his father's face. He was quite used to this by now. Igneel, who was filing his paperwork, looked up seeing the pink mess of hair known as his son. He looked at him with disappointment, for his son, being the nineteen years of age he is, still dressed and had the mental age of a ten-year-old. Sighing, he gestured for Natsu to sit down, Natsu taking his seat as he propped one of his legs in top of the other in a comfortable position.

"Did Erza come get you?" he questioned, a frown on his face.

"Yes," Natsu shuddered in fear, "Why did you hire her anyway?"

"She seemed nice. Plus, I needed someone like that to discipline you since you never listen," the redheaded businessman spoke.

"You wanted something, old man?" he asked bluntly, a bored expression on his face. Natsu really hated this type of stuff.

"Yes, son, I did," Igneel sighed, sitting up straight in his chair before leaning towards his son, "Natsu, you do know about Heartfilia Railways, don't you?"

"That rival company of yours?" he inquired questioningly, "The one with the man with blonde hair?"

"Yes," the businessman replied, "I have made an offer with them that will merge our companies together."

"Merge our companies together? Can't you only do that through like marriage or something since both heirs have to make that decision?" Natsu continued, "How could you do that- Wait, Dad! You're not marrying his wife are you? That's a sin!"

"No, Natsu, I'm not going to marry his wife. I'm not stupid, and plus she's been deceased for years," Igneel explained carefully, "Jude has a daughter on the other hand, Lucy, who like you is the heir of her father's company."

"When did a girl get into this conversation?" Natsu pointed out obliviously, "I thought we were talking about the merging of companies and marriage and-"

"Natsu," he scolded.

"Dad, this is-"

"Natsu! Enough!" he yelled before calming down, "Since both of you are the heirs, you are betrothed to Lucy and will marry her in the time span of a year. I've already discussed this and the decision is final."

Natsu's eyes widened in shock. Marry a girl he didn't even know? A wedding? Wait, weddings meant tons of food, right? He was totally fine with this as he smiled. He couldn't wait for food, especially of Mira would prepare a banquet!

"Okay," Natsu cheered happily, "I'm alright with that. I can't wait actually!"

Igneel looked at his son like he was crazy, his eyes widened and alert. He was sure Natsu was going to protest, the boy never loving a girl before nor ever having a girlfriend or even bringing one home. This reaction wasn't what he expected at all. But his suspicions were correct after asking Natsu a question.

"Natsu, why do you want to get married?" Igneel sighed, putting his head in his hands. This wasn't going to be good.

"So I can eat Mira's food!" he cheered happily, pumping a fist in the air. His father, on the other hand, had a completely different reaction as he banged his head on the desk before regaining his normality back.

"Natsu, I need you to promise me something," he said, placing his head in his hands.

"What is it, old man? I don't break promises," Natsu informed.

Igneel looked him dead in the eye and he told him, "Natsu, no matter what, I need you to promise me to love Lucy and do no matter what it takes to make her happy. She's a very sweet girl that doesn't need any more pain. Do you understand me?"

"I understand completely," Natsu promised, different scenarios going through his head already, even if he didn't even know this girl named Lucy.

"Good. We meet her and her father for lunch tomorrow. I expect you to be on your best behavior, Natsu, or I will make Erza put on your best behavior," he threatened, making the boy freeze in his spot. He chuckled before patting the pink spikes on Natsu's head and walking out the door.

His son was a lot of work, but he'll manage.

-X-

"Lucy-chan!" Levy piped up as the tiny bluenette skipped into the blonde's room happily, "Wake up! Your fiance will be here in a couple of hours!"

Lucy groaned, flipping to her other side because she refused to be disturbed. Levy frowned, but determined, she splashed the cup of water on Lucy's bedside on her, making Lucy jump immediately.

"What the heck, Levy-chan?" Lucy grumbled, "First of all, he's not my fiancé, and secondly, never wake me up like that again!"

Levy giggled, "You're such a deep sleeper though! I had no choice!"

Lucy rolled her eyes as she got out of bed, putting on the pink, fancy dress her father forced her to wear. She turned to look at herself, and even she had to admit she looked good. Levy helped Lucy with her hair, pinning it up into a single ponytail that tied her shoulder-length hair together.

"You look beautiful, Lu-chan," she gasped.

The blonde took look at herself in the mirror. This wasn't who she was at all. She was just Lucy, who loved to read, write, and be herself, not a rich girl getting married to some idiot she was just meeting today. She pondered over and recollected her thoughts. Looking over her shoulder, she had realized that Levy had left the room. Lucy smiled as she thought of her tiny, blue-haired best friend who happened to be one of her maids. Levy was one of the only people Lucy trusted, probably let alone the only person she did trust. The two were always there for each other.

She walked down the long, majestic staircase to the big wooden doors that were the exit to her home, only to be stopped by the guards that were on the watch at that time.

"I'm sorry, Miss Lucy," the one named Capricorn apologized, "but we have strict orders from your father to not allow you outdoors."

"And why not?" she insisted, "Why won't he let me outside? Aren't there guards there too?"

"Yes, but-"

"What? What's so important that he won't let me outside to visit my mother, his wife's, grave?" she demanded, "It's not like I'll do anything bad. I can't escape this place anyways."

"I know, Miss Lucy, but-"

"You can't leave because of that stupid, fiancé of yours," the guard named Loke finished, "I should have been the one to marry you, my love!"

"That's not happening," Lucy scolded, "I care for you, Loke, but not romantically. You know that by now, don't you?"

"Lucy, I- HEY, LUCY!" Loke called out to the blonde, "What are you doing? Are you suicidal or something? Get back here before your father slits our throats!"

"Don't worry about it; I'll be back! If not, I'll deal with him personally, I swear!" she called back, running off to visit Layla's grave as her high-heeled shoes clicked on the pavement to the garden.

"She better," Loke grumbled to Capricorn, "How did she get past us anyways? I can't lose my job because of this!"

"Because you're a lovestruck, gullible fool," he replied, "And I wasn't paying attention. I thought you were going to take care of her."

They both sighed.

-X-

"Why do I have to wear this stupid tie anyways?" Natsu complained to his father as he fiddled with the uncomfortable, choking piece of cloth around his neck. Thankfully, his father allowed him to wear his scarf so he was fine with it for the most part. Still, he hated this thing.

"Natsu," he ordered, "Please stop this nonsense. We're almost at Lucy's house anyways."

As if on cue, the limousine pulled up to a big, majestic mansion with the grand entrance and the iron gates. Two men halted their care, asking for their identity before allowing them to enter. Natsu gaped in awe. He had never seen a house bigger than his before.

"Igneel!" his father was greeted once he stepped out of the car. A man around his father's age with blonde hair stepped out to greet him.

"Jude! It's great to see you again!" the redheaded businessman said back to his former rival, "This is my son, Natsu. Natsu, this is Jude, Lucy's father."

"Nice to meet you, sir," the pinkette greeted, offering the man a smile.

"You seem like a lovely boy, Natsu," Jude told him, "Lucy's outside in the garden at the back. Apparently, she slipped by the guards again. Why don't you go meet her?"

"Will do, sir," Natsu replied before making a beeline for the garden, sprinting as he ran around to the back of the mansion.

He was curious to see this girl. The one named Lucy.

-X-

Lucy kneeled down in front of her mother's grave and stared at the engravings. She burst into tears as they streamed down her face and cried silently to herself.

"I never wanted any of this to happen, mom. I always wanted to marry out of love, not because of father's selfish reasons. What if I don't love him?" she whispered, placing down the bouquet Miss Spetto had set up for her this morning. "I wish you were here. I wish you could help me through this!"

"Yo!" an unfamiliar voice called out to her in the distance.

She whipped around seeing a mass of pink spikes and attached to them, a boy around her age with a white scarf around his neck running to her. Lucy squinted. Could she be dreaming? Was this the man she was to be married to? Or was he just another pervert that would stalk her?

He came up to her, a broad smile across his face. She couldn't help but stare at him. In her mind, he was very...interesting looking, though handsome at the same time.

"Are you Lucy?" he questioned.

"And what if I am?" she retorted back, rolling her eyes, trying not to blush.

"I'm Natsu," he introduced himself, holding out his hand to her which she hesitantly took. They were calloused but surprisingly soft and gentle.

"Nice to meet you, Natsu," she said back.

They could only stare at each other with a blush coating their cheeks, minutes passing of not saying any words nor moving. They were frozen, eyes locked to each other. Natsu buried his face in his scarf, hoping Lucy wouldn't notice his blush. Thankfully, the blonde was looking away from him as he sighed in relief.

And that's when the mutual attraction started.


	2. Judgment of Natsu

Chapter 2

"Lucy! Natsu!" Igneel called to them, "Let's go inside!"

"Coming, old man!" Natsu yelled back at him as Igneel nodded. Lucy raised her eyebrows.

"What?" he asked her, staring at the blonde intently.

"Why do you call your father 'old man'?" she questioned, "Don't you think that's a bit rude to call your father that with such informality?"

"No," he replied, a face-splitting grin on his face, making Lucy blush, "He's fine with it. And are you really going to start an argument with me? I've known you for about five minutes."

"I can't believe you would call your father such an insulting name!" she sputtered furiously, her face coloring a darker shade of pink matching her fiancé's hair.

It was that grin. Something about that grin of his made her heart melt from the coldness and darkness it had been through. She wanted to hate it; she wanted to hate that smile of his, but yet she loved it at the same time. To Lucy, she was intrigued by the way he smiled. It made her feel safe, something she had not felt ever since Layla, her mother passed away. She felt right with him. Apparently, in the five minutes of knowing this boy, he already had her heart. Just not her mind yet exactly.

"Lucy, hey, blondie, stop staring," Natsu said, waving a hand in front of her face, the blonde jumping at the object in front of her face. Her cheeks dusted with pink as she looked up to face Natsu, who was a few inches taller than she was.

"Sorry," she apologized, embarrassed by herself, "I was just thinking about something. Now let's go, Natsu."

"Weirdo," he chuckled, "I agree. Let's go, _Luigi_."

"Lucy," she hissed back at him, making him laugh even more, the pinkette already getting on to her nerves.

"I was just teasing you," he retorted as they started walking back to the front of the estate, "You don't have to take things so seriously."

"Sorry to disappoint you," she replied softly, her mood drastically changing, "but that's just who I am. I wasn't raised like you were."

Natsu was taken aback. How could she change from this blonde weirdo who was yelling and screaming to someone who was so quiet and reserved? At least she wasn't mad at him, Natsu thought to himself. He wanted to get to know this girl better. He was going to be marrying her after all, but she was really weird in his...somewhat intelligent mind.

"NATSU DRAGNEEL!" a voice bellowed, making the "couple" jump, "YOU BETTER GET IN HERE, OR YOU BETTER HAVE A DEATH WISH!"

"Oh, no," he groaned, grabbing Lucy by the hand much to her protest, "C'mon, Lucy, we have to go faster unless you want to die today!'

"Why?" she questioned him, unenthusiastic about the events that were going on in her life at the moment.

"I forgot about _Erza_," he shuddered, not answering her question at all. Seeing her confused face, he sighed. "You'll meet her inside."

They dashed across the acres of yard before arriving at the entrance of the Heartfilia estate, a woman with hair the color of blood waiting at the entrance, dressed in a maid's outfit with her hair tied into a single ponytail, impatiently tapping her foot as she waited for them. Once they got to the entrance doors, she went up to Natsu and punched him. _Hard_. The male was knocked out instantly, a red mark on his face as Lucy gasped. Unladylike for sure, but Lucy admired the maid who just hit her master square in the face. The redhead turned to Lucy, making the blonde gulp and cower away in fear.

"Are you Lucy?" she asked curiously, raising an eyebrow at her. Even her voice was powerful.

"Y-Yes," Lucy stuttered as she backed away, looking at an unconscious Natsu on the floor.

Erza strided over to her before pulling Lucy into a bone-crushing hug, not what Lucy was expecting at all. The blonde swore she couldn't breathe, but she just patted Erza on the back several times before she pulled away. Lucy gasped for air desperately as she coughed. This woman was strong.

"I'm so sorry! I don't know what got into me!" Erza cried apologetically, getting on her knees. "Please. It would be an honor if you punched me."

Lucy looked at her with wide eyes. Punched her? That sounded a lot like Virgo, except without the chains and the whip.

"N-No, I'm not going to punch you; I would never do that!" Lucy said. "Please get up."

Erza arose to her feet, a look of wonder in her eyes.

"Wow," she breathed, "You're really pretty. And such a kindhearted maiden too. Natsu should feel privileged to have such a lovely lady. I'm Erza Scarlet, Natsu's maid and a good friend of his. I hope we can become friends, too, Lucy. Even if you are a being of higher nobility than me."

"Of course, Erza," she giggled, "I would love to become your friend. And you're last name suits you very well."

"T-thank you, Lady Lucy," Erza stuttered, "M-my very good f-friend, Jellal, gave it to me."

"Why would your friend give you your last name?" Lucy asked curiously. She wanted to know. "And please, it's just Lucy, don't call me 'Lady'. That's too old, formal, and it makes me feel terrible."

"Well, you see, Lucy, I was an orphan until Igneel found me. I refused to let adopt me, and he let me do whatever I desired, so I insisted on becoming one of his maids. Natsu still thinks he "hired" me."

"Oh," Lucy cried, "I had no idea! I'm sorry!"

"Don't apologize," Erza chuckled, "There's no need to."

Natsu, at this time, had already awoken to consciousness when Erza started that mini story of hers. He picked his head off from the floor and looked at her.

"Huh? So old man didn't hire you? You were supposed to be my adopted sister!? Aw, gross!" Natsu whined like a small child, instantly stopping as he got cold glares from both Lucy and Erza. It was like there was two of them. He shuddered, chills running down his spine.

"Immature juvenile," Lucy scoffed, "Do you have no manners?"

"Natsu," Erza growled, turning to Lucy, "If this idiot ever gives you trouble when you're married, remember to tell me. I'll make sure to knock some sense into him, considering you'll probably never divorce."

"W-what makes you think we're never going to divorce?" Lucy asked, wanting to go and hide somewhere where no one could find her.

"Well," Erza laughed at the two, seeing the priceless looks on their faces, "just a feeling. I know you guys will end up loving each other. Plus, on the other hand, I doubt your fathers would let you. Businessmen love their money."

"Way too much," Lucy added, turning to Natsu, "I still don't want to marry you, but just for a future reference, if you ever turn out like our fathers when you inherit the money, I swear I will divorce you right then and there."

"I'll be waiting," Natsu replied teasingly, "You would never do that to me anyways. You love me too much already."

"Shut up!" the blonde shouted, making Natsu laugh, and Erza to knock him unconscious again.

"See," she stated, "like this. Let's go, Lucy. I think your fathers are waiting for you."

And then she _carried _Natsu. Lucy made a mental reminder not to get on her bad side.

-X

"It's about time," Jude snapped impatiently, "You kept us waiting."

"Now, now Jude," Igneel sighed, unfazed seeing his son's unconscious body hoisted on Erza's shoulders. "There's no need to yell. I'm pretty sure Lucy was chatting with Erza. Isn't that right, dear?"

"Yes, sir," Lucy replied, nodding her head, "Erza and I are good friends now. She's very interesting."

"Good," Igneel stated, "Erza, you can put Natsu in the seat next to Lucy. And please wake him up too while you're at it."

"Will do, sir," the redhead replied, plopping Natsu down on the plush chair next to Lucy.

She shook him multiple times, grumbling and cursing to herself as she tried not to lose her temper in front of everyone in the room. Instead, for a compromise in Erza's way, she leaned in Natsu ear, hissing hateful words and threatens. When that didn't work, she lost it, lodged her fist into his head, instantly waking the male up.

"Erza! What the-" Natsu started before realizing his surroundings, instantly shutting up. One look from his father and Lucy's was all it took. Why did everyone hate him today?

"So, Igneel, Natsu, we have some very important matters to discuss about this marriage and my daughter," he explained, folding his hands neatly as he looked to the two Dragneels.

Igneel, who was used to this kind of pressure, sat calmly at the table in a similar position to Jude. Natsu, the poor boy being frightened out of his mind, slumped in his chair, Lucy shooting him a look that her father hopefully didn't see. Sure, she didn't like this marriage at all, but she wanted to get out of her house and away from her father.

"Natsu, you will be a good husband to my daughter, won't you? Your father says you're a man that doesn't break a promise, even if you can be quite immature sometimes. I order that you don't let any of that immaturity of yours get to Lucy's mind," Jude spoke carefully, Natsu half listening since the other part of him had the urge to stare at Lucy.

"Natsu," Lucy hissed.

"Will, do, Mr. Heartfilia. I will make sure nothing ever happens to Lucy," Natsu replied.

"Good," her father mumbled as he turned to Igneel, "That is all for now. You two may go now. I must speak with Igneel."

"That's it?" they exclaimed simultaneously.

"Yes," Igneel sighed, "All he wanted to hear was Natsu promise in person. Welcome to the family early, Lucy. You're coming home with Natsu and me."

"Excuse me?" Lucy asked, secretly wanting to cheer, "Now? I haven't even known Natsu for that long, and I'm already going to start living with him? What about my friends, Levy and Juvia?"

"They're coming with you, Lucy," Igneel explained. "Levy and Juvia have been packing your things since you have left your room."

"Oh," she said, calming down.

"Let's go wait outside, Lucy! You have to meet Gray!" Natsu cheered, pulling the blonde along with him as she yelped in surprise.

-X-

Once they were outside, Gray was already outside the Dragneel's car, loading some of Lucy's belongings (of course they couldn't fit all of them) into the trunk. When Natsu and Lucy finally met up with him, the blonde immediately covered her eyes in horror. Like Natsu, did he have no manners?

"U-um," she stuttered to Natsu, pointing at the ink-haired driver, "Natsu, I think your friend's-"

"It's normal," he interrupted reassuringly, "Hey, stripper! Put on some clothes; you're scaring Lucy!"

"Lucy? Is that-" Gray started before looking over his shoulder, "Oh, so you're Lucy. Nice to meet you; I'm Gray."

He held out his hand to her, which she refused to take, shaking her head. Gray looked at her with a puzzled look on his face, Lucy turning a bright red as Natsu sighed next to her.

"What?" he asked.

"Y-your clothes. Please put some on!" she wailed, "How did your pants go missing too? I didn't even see that!"

"He's got a gift," Natsu snickered.

"Will you shut up!?" Gray yelled, making Natsu smirk.

"Make me!" he taunted, a childish grin on his face.

"Why you-"

"Lu-chan! We're ready to go!" Levy called from a distance, running to her best friend.

Lucy smiled. Levy and Juvia were coming with her; she was going to get away from her father; and she had Natsu, who she considered somewhat as a friend. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

"Natsu!" Gray cried, covering himself up, making Lucy shriek and Levy turn a bright red, both covering their eyes.

"Put on some clothes!" Levy snapped, glaring at Natsu who was not having the best day ever, looking away as if he didn't do anything. He might or might have not taken Gray's clothes when he was about to put them on. Lucy unfortunately stood at an angle that was not very pleasing, which added more of a disliking.

He grinned mischievously as he dashed across Lucy's front yard, laughing as Gray chased after him. Thank Mavis there was a gate because those two would've gotten arrested right now if they were out in public.

"I feel so sorry for you, Lu-chan," Levy commented. "Though we're all going to deal with these idiots, you're the poor, unfortunate soul that must marry the really immature one."

"Thanks for making me feel better, Levy," Lucy replied sarcastically, Levy giggling at the expression on the blonde's face.

"Why does everyone call me immature!?" Natsu screamed, Lucy and Levy jumping. How could he have heard that when they were so far away?

"Miss Lucy! Juvia is here to-" Juvia cried before she was...distracted.

Gray and Natsu were wrestling in the yard, hearts forming in Juvia's eyes as they bulged out of her head, in her mind seeing the most handsome boy she's ever seen. She stalked over to them, making them stop and stare at the blue-haired girl in front of them.

"Who are you?" Gray asked flatly.

"J-Juvia. Juvia Lockser. Who are you?" she introduced herself shyly.

"Gray Fullbuster," he replied casually, holding out his hand, "Nice to meet you."

"Gray?" Juvia repeated.

Her head was getting dizzy. Who was this handsome, wonderful man who had won over Juvia's heart? Oh, how she longed to be his already. From this day forward, Gray-sama is Juvia's true love!

"Gray-sama! Juvia loves you already!" she cried, throwing herself at him, Gray instantly pulling away, a surprised look on his face.

"She's gone mad," Lucy muttered to Levy. The two were still watching the events that played out right in front of them. It looked so horribly terrible, yet it was quite amusing.

"Are you kidding?" Levy joked, "She went mad a long time ago."

"Whoa!" Gray yelped, "I think you're way in over your head here! I just met you and-"

"So?" she chirped happily, "Miss Lucy and Natsu just met and they're already getting married! We could do that too!"

"That's because it's arranged!" he yelled back.

Natsu watched as his best friend slash rival get ambushed by a girl, one of Lucy's maids and friend, who unusually talks in third person. He couldn't help but laugh. This was the highlight of his day, besides meeting Lucy of course. Hearing a fit of giggles behind him, he turned around to see Lucy laughing at them too. He smiled, walked next to her, and put an arm around her before getting his arm smacked away, and his life turned upside down once more.

"Watch where you put your hands, pervert!" she screamed.

"I-I didn't mean it like that, Luce," he tried to say back, but that didn't help at all.

"Don't call me 'Luce'! And what do you mean you didn't mean it like that!" she snapped viciously, Natsu cowering back in fear.

He was feeling bad for himself now.

"Lucy, I-"

"Save it. I'm getting in the car," she interrupted, her temper seeming as if it went away completely. "And for the record, Natsu, you should try to be more sophisticated."

"And what about you, Miss Heartfilia? You should try to let loose for a bit," he retorted back.

Lucy bit her lip, looking at Natsu as they could only stare at each other until they're friends came. Still, she had to admit, he was right: she was too uptight and cold. When was the last time she had broken a rule, let alone laugh like she had today? The only person who could make her act this wild and free was her mother, but she was gone now. But Natsu...it barely took him an hour, and he already seemed to brighten her day.

"Lu-chan! Natsu!" Levy called as she ran towards the car, "Get in now. Gray says we're leaving, and Igneel will just meet up with us later. Oh, and Natsu, your father told me to tell you to show Lucy around the house."

"Okay," he replied, turning to Lucy as he sat down next to her, "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be," she muttered, crossing her arms, Natsu's perfect grin smiling down at her.

"Juvia wants to ride with Gray-sama!" she whined.

"I'm the one that's driving!" he yelled at the obsessive woman who was clinging on to his leg.

"Then I'll hold on to you while you're driving!" she exclaimed.

"Are you crazy!?" he cried, "Do you want to get us all killed?"

"Then I'll die with you, Gray-sama!" she inquired, clinging on to him even tighter.

"Ugh!"

"You guys fight like a married couple," Natsu laughed.

"So do you and Lucy, except you're actually getting married," Gray shot back.

"Where's Erza?" Lucy asked, hoping to steer them off topic, which worked for a little bit.

"Yeah," Natsu added, "Where is she?"

Just on cue, Erza was running to the limousine like a madman, opening the doors, climbing in and slamming them shut.

"Are we ready to go?" she asked.

"All ready," Levy replied.

"Good," the redhead stated, "Natsu, remember what I said a while ago. I will not hesitate to break you."

Natsu shuddered for the thousandth time. It really wasn't his day today.

**Author's Note: Hi! Well, I'm done with chapter two, and I hoped you liked it! I've decided that I'm going to update this story on Fridays, so please expect that if you continue to read. Anyways, thanks to all the people who favorited/followed. This story is off to a great start! **

**Sorry in advance if I made mistakes. **

**Don't forget to leave a review, favorite, ** **and follow! Until next time!**


	3. Coming Home

Chapter 3

The car sped down the lanes to the other side of Magnolia much to Lucy's liking. Finally! A chance to get away from that dad of hers was one she was definitely willing to take. She smiled as she rested her head on Natsu's shoulder, the pinkette allowing her without a care.

Lucy felt safe with Natsu. He had this warmth to him, something she just couldn't describe. Like fire almost. He was likeable, loud, and funny, but he was still obnoxious and annoying which made Lucy want to punch him in the face. Why couldn't she just be more like Erza?

On the other hand, Natsu felt like he was going to die. He hated vehicles; he absolutely hated them! He had his motion sickness patches on, but they didn't help much at all. When they hit a bump in the road, he lurched forward and groaned but instantly stopped when Lucy looked at him.

"Hey, Natsu," Lucy mumbled, burying her face in his shoulder, the pinkette looking a little pale. She was really tired today.

"Yes, Lucy?" he whispered to her, not feeling so good. Still, he couldn't do anything since Lucy was on him.

"Wake me up when we get there," she continued, closing her chocolate brown eyes. After a few minutes, the blonde was fast asleep, almost like a small child.

"Wow, Natsu," Levy said, "I'm impressed. She hasn't done that in quite a while, not even to me or Juvia or anyone...except you. The last time I saw her sleep that peacefully was-"

"When Lucy's mother was alive," Juvia finished, "Juvia remembers that, too. Yet, Miss Lucy has only known you for a while, and you already have her sleeping on your shoulder. It's quite unusual."

Natsu looked down at the sleeping blonde beauty sleeping peacefully on his shoulder, a sympathetic smile on his face. So she lost her mother, too... Yes, Natsu had a mother, a stepmother, having lost his own at a young age. Grandeeney was sweet and all, but he still wished he knew what his biological mother was like.

"Maybe she likes you, Natsu," Gray joked, breaking the sudden silence, "Then again, she probably doesn't. Who would like you?"

"Are you suggesting that she likes you any better?" Natsu scoffed, "Yeah, right. Her first impression of you was you with your shirt off."

"I'll have you know-"

"Gray-sama!" Juvia wailed, almost tackling the ink-haired driver, knocking into Natsu, whose motion sickness patches came off since he didn't place them on right, "How could you love Miss Lucy more than Juvia? Juvia loves you more than anything else in the world! Juvia will prove it to you!"

"Are you crazy, woman? Are you trying to get us all killed?" Gray yelled, the car swerving from the sudden movements. When he was driving smoothly once more, Lucy had already woken up, Erza knocked Natsu unconscious to spare him from the pain, and Juvia was balling her eyes out.

"I'm so sorry!" she cried, "Gray-sama, once we get to Mister Natsu's house, I beg you that you punish me!"

"You are seriously insane," Gray muttered.

"Gray-sama's talking about Juvia! Juvia is so happy!" she squealed.

"Maybe you don't have it the worse, Lu-chan," Levy whispered to Lucy, a blush on the blonde's cheeks since her fiancé was resting his head on her lap, "If anything, I think Gray has it worst than you. At

least Natsu isn't that clingy."

"Yeah," Lucy agreed, "I feel really bad for him actually. Juvia's been sticking like glue to him."

She looked to the sick pinkette on her lap. Who would have known his weakness was vehicles? She giggled to herself. He looked so calm (of course he wasn't relaxed at all) unlike his usual self. His face was tinting with green as he groaned occasionally, shifting his head. Lucy was starting to feel a little guilty now; the pinkette let her sleep on his shoulder while she should have been the one taking care of him. Well, at least she made it up to him this way.

"How's Natsu doing back there?" Gray asked, not even turning around to look.

"I think he's doing alright," Lucy replied, stroking his surprisingly soft pink spikes, "He hasn't thrown up yet."

"Good," he added, "I don't feel like getting puke in my car today."

"What if Juvia throws up?" the bluenette asked, hoping to get her beloved's attention.

"I'll ask Igneel for a new car," Gray retorted.

"He's so caring!" Juvia sighed, looking at him dreamily.

"I refuse to speak with this psycho any longer," he snapped, "I am seriously considering a restraining order."

That surprisingly shut everyone up as they watched Juvia cry herself a river for the next fifteen minutes. They were afraid to say the wrong thing, their mouths agape in shock.

-X-

They pulled up to the Dragneel estate a few minutes later. Immediately, Natsu rushed out of the car and when he got out, he kissed the ground. Lucy looked at him with disgust, and when Erza saw that look on her face, she hit him. Sadly, not enough to knock him out though.

"Freedom!" he cried, "I don't have to be in that stupid car anymore!"

"How did he wake up that easily!?" Lucy questioned, looking to Erza for an answer, but the redhead just shook her head.

"I don't even know anymore. It's almost as if he has a sixth sense," she answered.

"Hey, Lucy! Come on! I have to show you around the house!" he said excitedly, grabbing her hand by the wrist as they ran inside.

Lucy gasped as she entered the house. It was somewhat like her own, but this place-it felt like home. Lucy had to admit it was messier- there were dents in the walls and...burn marks?- , but there was this vibe that gave off that was different than her own house.

"Why don't you go explore, Luce?" he offered, "I'll be back in a little bit; just stay on the first floor though."

"No problem," she replied, "Where are you going?"

"To help Gray with some of your things," he answered, "At least you have less than Erza."

He left her to explore on her own. Lucy turned to the nearest hallway as she went to look around. If she got lost, it was Natsu's fault anyways.

Pictures hung in neat rows on the walls, mostly of Natsu and Igneel together, though Lucy was certainly drawn to two very different ones.

The first one was of Natsu when he was a young child, five at the most. Igneel was at the back of him, hoisting him up as Natsu was trying to run away, smiling his signature grin as if they were playing a game of tag. They looked so happy. The blonde smiled; she thought Natsu looked adorable in that picture.

The second one was different. Natsu and Igneel were accompanied by two more people, a woman and a girl. They smiled for a formal family portrait. Natsu looked older, but he probably still had the same attitude. The difference between the two pictures was the forced smile on his face. She felt sorry for him.

"Those two are Grandeeney and Wendy," a voice interrupted from behind her. She whipped around, locking eyes with the person who she was betrothed to. How long had she been here? He walked to Lucy, hands behind his back as he examined the picture more.

"How long have I been here?" Lucy asked.

"Long enough for me to come looking for you," Natsu replied.

"Grandeeney," Lucy continued, "Is she your mother, Natsu?"

"She's my stepmother," he answered, "and Wendy's my stepsister. They moved in a few years ago a few weeks after Grandeeney married my dad." Something was missing. Natsu smiled faltered, the pinkette running a hand through his hair as his smile returned moments later. Lucy looked at him.

"Do you like her?" Lucy questioned further.

"Of course. She's the sweetest person in the world. Couldn't ask for a better stepmother," Natsu added, a glum look on his face afterwards, "but sometimes I wish I knew what my biological mother was like. She died after I was born. Never knew her. I never will."

Lucy couldn't contain herself; she flung herself into his arms, hugging him as tight as she could. Natsu was shocked, hesitantly wrapping both of his arms around her. What was happening? Was this part of Erza's plan to kill him?

"Um, Lucy," he said, "Are you alright?"

"Yes," she murmured, "I could ask the same about you. Are you alright, Natsu?"

"Yes," he mumbled, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"It's just..." Lucy explained, "you lost your mother right after you were born. You didn't know what she was like, who she was, not a single thing. I feel- I feel sorry for you."

"Don't be," Natsu told her, "If anything, you of all people shouldn't be sorry. My dad- he's told me a lot about you before I arrived today. You, Lucy Heartfilia, were close to your mother. You knew her, losing her at a young age as well. When you lost her, I can't imagine the pain you went through. I never knew my mother, but you were close to yours. I should be feeling sorry for you."

"Natsu..." Lucy gasped, her gaze locked upon his, choking back tears. He was so sweet.

"Don't cry, Lucy," he consoled, "I would hate to see you cry, especially on the first day I met you. Let's go meet the others now."

"Okay," Lucy whispered, letting Natsu, who was being gentle for once, lead her to the living room.

-X-

"There you are!" Levy cried, running up and hugging Lucy as she walked in.

"I have missed you, too, Lucy," Erza stated, standing up and giving the blonde another bone-crushing hug.

"I was only gone for a little bit," Lucy said, gasping for air as she was choking from both Erza and Levy's grasp (more of Erza's, no offense Levy).

"You had us worried sick!" Levy exclaimed, "You could've gotten lost in this house!"

"She was fine," Natsu informed, "She didn't go far. I found her looking at photos in the first hallway."

"Okay, then-"

"Natsu!" a voice called out to him, pulling him into a hug, "How was it?"

"It was great, Wendy," Natsu chuckled. Lucy couldn't help but smile behind the two. Wendy spotted the unfamiliar face behind them, let go of Natsu, and went in Lucy's direction.

"Are you Lucy?" she asked quietly, suddenly very nervous, "I-I'm W-Wendy, Natsu's s-sister."

"Nice to meet you, Wendy," Lucy greeted gently, "Yes, I am Lucy. You don't have to be so nervous. I'm not going to do anything bad to you."

"I'm sorry!" she squeaked, bowing her head repeatedly, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"Don't apologize," Lucy comforted, trying to calm the girl down again. When she was calm, Lucy continued to speak.

"I hope we become great friends, Wendy," she spoke. Wendy, whose head was down, lifted her head up, a smile similar to Natsu's on her face. She went up to Lucy and hugged her.

"Me, too," she stated, "I hope we become great friends, Lucy."

"Natsu? Is that you- Oh, you must be Lucy!" a middle-age woman greeted, pulling Lucy into a hug.

"Are you Grandeeney?" Lucy asked, straightening her posture in the once again uncomfortable position.

"Yes!" she chirped, "Natsu must have told you about me already! Oh, you're so beautiful! Why were you forced to marry Natsu of all people?"

"Hey!" Natsu exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger, "What are you talking about?"

"How could such a pretty maiden end up with an idiotic juvenile like you," Erza translated to a simpler version, "I agree with your stepmother."

"This world hates me today," Natsu mumbled. At least there was Lucy to make up for it.

"Why don't you show Lucy to your room?" Grandeeney asked, "You two will be sharing after all."

"Alright!" Natsu piped up, "Let's go, Lucy!"

The climbed up the elegant staircase to the second hallway to the right. There were about five more hallways on the floor, and Lucy had a feeling she was going to get lost in this house. It took her many weeks just to figure out the layout of her own when she was younger. Natsu opened the door to their room, and he was just as surprised as Lucy was (even his mouth was open) to what they found. It was breathtaking in Lucy's mind, but Natsu wasn't too happy.

"Mira!" Natsu yelled, a beautiful white-haired maid rushing in immediately to come to his aid.

"Yes, Natsu?" she answered, a cheerful smile on her face, blue eyes twinkling, "And you must be Lucy! Nice to meet you, I'm Mirajane Strauss."

"You, too, Mira," Lucy greeted.

"Save your greetings for later!" Natsu snapped, "Mira, WHAT HAPPENED TO MY ROOM!? It wasn't like this in the morning!"

"That's because your father insisted that we fix it to make it suitable for both you and Lucy," she giggled, "Kinana, Laki, and I worked all day to fix this. Natsu, you really have to learn how to stop shoving things into drawers."

"But-" he gritted through his teeth, "Where did all my stuff go?"

"You're only allowed to keep some of it, Natsu," Mira explained, "The rest of it we threw or donated. All of your things are in the drawers, dresser, or closet where they're _supposed _to be."

"Oh, no," Lucy muttered, "I'm engaged to a slob."

"I am not a slob!" Natsu protested, "I just like my things a certain way."

"On the ground," Mira teased, "You have no idea, Lucy. Anyways, you can sort your things out and just be ready for dinner. Your clothes are already in the closet and drawers. See you later!"

"Bye, Mira!" Lucy exclaimed, the maid walking out of the room. When she left, looked at Natsu and sighed.

"Just saying, keep your things off the floor," Lucy spoke, hands on her hips.

"Not you, too..." Natsu grumbled, "I'm not like that!"

"Whatever," the blonde waved off, "I'm taking a shower. "

She wandered around the suite, fumbling with the drawers, blushing at some of them and immediately shutting them. Gosh, he hoped Natsu wasn't a pervert; there were some things in those that weren't much to her liking. How did Levy even manage to find those types of clothing in her closet? Lucy's face turned out more like a tomato the more she thought about it, causing Natsu to chuckle at her. She grabbed one of her fancy dresses from the closet, but Natsu snatched it out of her hands.

"Hey!" Lucy yelled, "I was going to wear that, you jerk!"

"Not in this house, Lucy," Natsu replied teasingly, "You're not in your house anymore. You don't have to wear these unless it's some fancy party or something. Go get something else."

"But Natsu..." Lucy protested.

"Hey," he spoke, "You have to learn to loosen up a bit."

"Fine," Lucy huffed, "If that's what is going to make you stop bugging me about it."

She went back in for a blue skirt and a one blue-striped white top. Heading for the bathroom, Lucy then realized she didn't know where it was.

"Um, Natsu?" she squeaked, "Where's the bathroom?"

"First door to your left," he answered casually, already on his phone and doing whatever with it.

"Thanks," she said, walking into the bathroom quietly, a blush of embarrassment on her cheeks.

As Lucy was in the shower, Natsu laid there on their bed, thinking of how his day went. Sure, it wasn't that great, considering how many times he was knocked unconscious, glared at, scolded, and even made fun of, but he had to admit it did have its perks. He met Lucy, who he officially thought was his best friend even if he was marrying her, and Gray found a new stalker who was obsessed over him. It was fun for him.

Hearing the shower turn off, he heard a scream.

"Lucy? Are you alright in there?" he asked, panicking. What could have happened?

"Natsu, I-I forgot a towel. Can you go get me one?" the blonde stuttered, Natsu's face heating up immediately. Oh, no.

He grabbed one for her, his face more like a tomato by the second. His hand was touching the cool, silver doorknob when it opened for him. It took a swift second for Lucy to grab it from him with an equally red face and slam the door shut. Natsu just stood there, walking back to the bed with slow steps.

Well, that was awkward.

**Author's Note: Why do I make this story so awkward? I swear I can never take this seriously. Anyways, I hoped you liked it, and until next time with chapter 4!**

**Again, sorry if I made any mistakes. I didn't have as much time to write and edit this one as the last chapter. **

**Don't forget to review, follow, and favorite! You guys are so awesome! **


	4. Dinner, Sunrise, and the Pool

Chapter 4

After that embarrassing encounter with her fiancé, Lucy quickly got dressed and opened the door, seeing Natsu was back in his original position. She sighed heavily, trying to avoid eye contact with him at all costs. That was so stupid of her to forget a towel!

"Hey," Natsu called, making Lucy jump as she whipped around. She swallowed the lump in her throat; all of her pride was going down the drain. What was he going to do?

"Yes?" she managed to get out, her voice at a squeak.

"Erza came in to tell us dinner's ready and to come down when you're done," he informed, Lucy's sweat dropping. He was actually being sophisticated about this! "Oh, and Lucy?"

"What is it, Natsu?" she asked.

"I'll pretend our little incident never happened," he spoke, the tips of his ears turning red, Lucy smiling as her cheeks dusted in pink.

"Thanks a lot, Natsu," she said, "You have no idea how embarrassing that was."

"You and me both," he muttered in a low voice.

"What was that?" Lucy asked, not hearing a word he said.

"Nothing!" he assured, Lucy getting suspicious of him as they walked down together.

"I don't trust you."

"IT WAS NOTHING!"

-X-

"So, Lucy," Igneel started, turning to the blonde before the meal was served, "How do you like our home so far?"

"I love it," she replied, "It's quite beautiful. Though I'm afraid I'm going to get lost in it."

Igneel laughed at her. Lucy smiled; this was a good sign that he approved of her. She wouldn't want to live in a house with a family she barely knew only for them to hate her.

She looked at Natsu, her idiotic fiancé, who was impatiently tapping his fingers on the huge, long wooden table, waiting for the food. Wendy was conversing with her mother, a cheerful smile on their faces. Igneel was talking to her with an interest other than power, business, or money. Lucy wanted to break down and cry. Is this what a real family was like? One that enjoyed each other's company and actually stayed together? It's been so long since the blonde has seen this in her own residency that the memory seemed so far away and faded. She really, really missed it.

"You alright, Luce?" a voice called out to her, a large, tanned hand waving in front of her face. Lucy blinked multiple times, startled at the voice that belonged to Natsu. He stared at her intently, a look of worry on his face. "You kind of zoned out for a bit."

"Yeah," she answered, giving a small smile, "I'm fine. I was just thinking about something."

"Do you want to talk about it?" the pinkette asked, Lucy shaking her head no. Before he could open his mouth to speak again, Mirajane walked in with two silver trays of food, several maids following her actions as they set the plates down on the table.

"Eat up!" she exclaimed, Natsu immediately diving for the food once it was on the table; he put several large servings on his plate. Lucy's eyes widened on the unusually large amount of food on his dish, her fiancé devouring it quickly to get more. She looked down the table, seeing Igneel doing the exact same. Wendy and Grandeeney didn't eat as much, but they still had quite big appetites. Who knew the Dragneels could eat like...pigs almost?

"You're not going to eat, Lucy?" Natsu mumbled, talking with food in his mouth, Lucy groaning in disgust. That's when she realized she didn't have anything to eat herself. Trying not to be rude, she started grabbing food off the silver trays and lifting her utensils to eat it. When she took her first bite, Lucy felt like she was in heaven.

"Who cooked this?" she asked.

"Mira and a few others," Natsu replied, downing his fifth plate already, Lucy still in shock over his appetite.

"How are you eating that much?" she questioned, making Natsu shrug and go back to consuming the euphoric delicacy of Mira's cooking happily. Lucy just sighed and went back to eating herself, enjoying the flavors of the dishes as they melted in her mouth.

"You don't want seconds, Lucy?" Igneel asked between bites, "You barely ate anything."

"No," she replied back politely, "I'm quite alright. Thank you though."

"Your fiancé is too proper and polite, Natsu. Why don't you get your idiocy to rub off on her?" the businessman joked, Lucy trying to stifle back giggles.

"Ha ha. Very funny, old man," Natsu countered sarcastically.

"Natsu, don't speak to your father like that!" Lucy scolded, partially trying to embarrass him.

"Shut up," he grumbled, going back to eating and ignoring the taunts from Lucy and Igneel. His old man was one thing, but Lucy? Come on!

When dessert was brought up minutes later, Erza quickly glared at Natsu before serving the strawberry cake. Lucy giggled; Erza looked really reluctant to serve it.

"You may have some, Erza, if you like," Igneel said, "I know it's your favorite and all."

"It's quite fine, sir. Mira made my own, considering of what happened the last time," she answered, giving another cold stare to Natsu who cowered back in his seat.

"What happened last time?" Lucy asked curiously, having a feeling that she didn't want to know.

"I accidentally knocked over Erza's last piece of strawberry cake," Natsu confessed, shuddering at the thought of the memory, "She nearly killed me for it. I ended up with a broken arm."

"And a severely sprained ankle," Wendy added, her melodic giggles filling the room which Lucy found adorable.

"And he will never do that again. Am I correct, Natsu?" the redhead growled, hands on her hips as she glowered at him.

"A-Aye, sir! I mean ma'am, uh, sir! UGH!" Natsu stuttered shakily.

"Wonderful reply," she approved, nodding her head seriously. Everyone in this household was crazy.

"Well, I'm done," Igneel announced, "I think I'll turn in for the night."

"Night, Dad," Natsu said as the redheaded businessman walked up the stairs, Wendy and Grandeeney following shortly after.

Lucy and Natsu quietly made their way up the stairs, too, not saying a word to each other as they walked to their room. They were exhausted from today's events, so tired that even Natsu had nothing to talk about. Changing quickly into pajamas, they flopped on their bed, Lucy's eyes going wide as she noticed the pinkette was still next to her, a mere few feet away, hands folded on his stomach.

"Oh, no!" she yelled, "I am not sharing a bed with a stranger!"

"Lucy," Natsu mumbled in his pillow, "Just go to sleep. How I am stranger to you anyways? We're like best friends!"

"I barely know you," she scoffed, "and plus, you're not my best friend. Levy is."

"Luce, I'm hurt!" Natsu cried dramatically, turning over, lying on his stomach, Lucy rolling her eyes as she got up, "Where are you going?"

"If you're not going to move, then I will. I'm not going to sleep in the same bed with you yet. Instead, I'm sleeping on the ground," she muttered.

"No," Natsu volunteered, rushing to the blonde, taking the pillows and blankets she was carrying, "I will. If I make you uncomfortable, then I'll sleep on the ground."

"Are you sure?" she questioned, her tone almost panicking, "I don't want to be a burden, Natsu. You don't have to do this. I shouldn't have brought up the problem in the first place. I-"

"Weirdo," he chuckled, "You talk too much. Don't worry about me. If this is what you want, then so be it. I'm doing this for _you, _Lucy, you weirdo, because I _want _to. Now please move out of my way so I can set this up before I collapse."

Lucy moved out of his way, their shoulders brushing against each other as he walked by. She followed him, helping her fiancé lay down the layers of pillows and blankets until it was comfortable enough for him to sleep on. When they were done, he laid down on the makeshift bed, pulling the soft blanket over his body as Lucy stared at him. Why did he want to do this? Even she knew the floor was quite uncomfortable to sleep on, especially if it was wood.

"Goodnight, Lucy," Natsu murmured, flipping over to his other side so he could see her.

"Goodnight, Natsu," she whispered back. She could see the grin on his face before she walked back to the bed. Lucy couldn't help but smile back at him; he made her feel happy whether she liked it or not.

"Goodnight, Natsu," she whispered again when she was sure the pinkette was asleep, a bashful smile crawling up her face.

Little did she know Natsu heard it as well, a grin on his face as well as the duo fell asleep with smiles on both their faces.

-X-

"Luce! Lucy! Lucy! Wake up!" Natsu hissed, shaking her arm as the blonde groggily awoke from her slumber. Looking around her surroundings, she forgot for a second where she was, instantly remembering at the sight of Natsu.

"What do you want?" she yawned, her voice still heavily coated with sleep, stretching her arms as far out as they could.

"Come downstairs with me," he coaxed, trying to persuade her.

"Why?" she asked, rubbing her eyes, "What time is it?"

"5 A.M.," he answered casually, the blonde's eye twitching as she angrily got out of bed.

"This better be good," she snapped, annoyed at the pink-haired boy standing in front of her, arms crossed as she huffed out a breath of frustration.

"It is," Natsu promised, "Just come on and follow me."

He took her by the hand as they quietly exited their bedroom, sneaking away silently through the halls together, never letting go of each other. Natsu led her through a confusing maze of passageways-it was a lot harder to memorize than her own house-to the end of a random hallway where a ladder that led to a hatch where the roof was at the top. He climbed up first, unlocking the hatch and climbing to the top. Lucy shortly followed afterwards, grasping the hand that Natsu offered to her as he pulled her up gently.

"Okay," she spoke, "Why are we here?"

"Because I wanted to show you the sunrise," he replied sheepishly, walking to the edge of the rooftop and sitting down, "I know you live on the other side of Magnolia, and that you've probably seen this before, but I want you to watch it with me."

"That's really sweet of you, Natsu," Lucy admitted, sitting next to him, "No one's ever done anything like that for me before."

"You're welcome," he added, making her punch him lightly in the forearm, giggling as she rested her head on his shoulders, "I wanted to make your first day here special."

"Idiot, I was here yesterday, too, remember?" she chuckled.

"Yeah, but this is your first morning here," he countered, trying to defend his logic.

"Whatever you say," she sighed, looking down, "I've never actually seen the sunrise before."

"Why not?" he questioned curiously.

"No one has ever woken me up at 5 A.M.," she sighed, "They never really had time for me anyways at my old house."

"Then we'll watch it together," the pinkette offered, making Lucy smile.

"I'd like that," she said, a smile on her face as the two sat in silence.

They sat there for about an hour, enjoying each other's company as time ticked away while entertaining themselves with each other, watching the color of the sky turn from pitch black to shade of orange and pink streaking the sky. Lucy gasped at the beauty of the sunrise, Natsu smiling as he saw the expression of awe on her face. It was adorable in his mind, seeing Lucy's face the way it was.

"Wow," she breathed, "I had know idea Magnolia looked this beautiful in the morning."

"You must have missed out on a lot," Natsu told her, Lucy nodding her head in agreement as she continued to stare. He chuckled, standing up as the regular day was about to start. "Lucy, c'mon, let's go inside."

"Thank you, Natsu," she said, making the boy stop and turn around.

"What for?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"For showing me what life is really like," she answered, "I never knew it could be so much...fun. None of these events ever occur in my house. I've learned a lot from the short time I've been living with you. If you don't mind, maybe we could do it again?"

"Of course we could! It was my pleasure, Luce," he stated, "Now come on, Erza's going to kill at me if she finds out. We're not supposed to be doing this!"

"Wha-Natsu!" Lucy scolded, "Why would you do this?! I would hate to get in trouble for something so stupid!"

"Because my job is to keep you happy," he shrugged, brushing off her scolding like it was nothing, Lucy's cheeks turning the color of Natsu's hair, the blonde standing up to follow him back down.

Climbing their way down the metal rungs of the ladder, Natsu and Lucy snuck their way past many of the maids and made a beeline to their room. Opening the door, they were terrified to find everything already neat and tidy, Natsu's makeshift bed gone as well. They looked at each other in horror; oh, no they were dead!

"Welcome back!" a gentle voice greeted, the two sighing at the fact that it wasn't Erza, but Mira. "You showed Lucy the roof, didn't you, Natsu? You're going to get in trouble for that one day, you know?"

"Mira," Natsu begged, "Please don't tell Erza or my parents! You know what they'll do to me if they found out where I was!"

"I won't say anything, silly," she assured, "Just make sure that they don't find out for themselves. Besides, you two are already attached at the hip, and I wouldn't want to change that."

"We are not!" they protested simultaneously.

"Ah, ah!" she cried, wagging a teasing finger at them, "I don't want to hear that. Natsu, did you forget I'm cooking for the wedding? I don't have to, you know!"

"No! Mira!" he pleaded, "I don't care if you tell them; you have to cook!"

"Natsu," Lucy sighed, "She's not going to tell."

"Promise?" Natsu asked the maid childishly, a small smile appearing on her face as he grinned.

"I promise, Natsu," she replied.

-X-

"Where are we going?" Lucy complained, sighing as she was once again be dragged out in the afternoon of the next day. It's been two days now, and Lucy felt like she was in a paradise. Especially without her father.

"The outdoor pool," Natsu replied.

"I should have known," Lucy mumbled, mentally calling herself an idiot since she was wearing a swimsuit and was barefoot while Natsu was in swim trunks without a shirt. Quite obvious, Lucy. Of course they would have a pool.

Stepping outside, the two caught a glimpse of the others on the other side, trying to cool down in the blistering heat of the summer. Erza had taken the pleasure of dunking Gray in the cold water of the pool, or she was trying to drown him, Juvia watching from afar as she glowered at the redheaded maiden. Levy was calmly reading a book on one of the poolside chairs, her eyes flitting from page to page as she seemed more engrossed in it by the second. Wendy had joined them, too, getting playfully splashed by Mirajane as the two played games together. Lucy saw a few staff members who she did not recognize, but then again the house was huge and it had only been two days.

"Lucy! Natsu! Come here!" Mira called, waving at them cheerfully.

They walked over to Mira, seeing two other people, a boy and a girl, with her. Natsu waved at them.

"Hey, Elfman! Lisanna! You guys haven't met Lucy yet, right?" he greeted, only to be grabbed by the wrist and dunked into the cold water of the pool. Shivering, he glared at the younger girl. "Ah! Lisanna! What was that for?"

"You clearly are an idiot, Natsu," she teased, giggling to herself, making Lucy laugh as well, "Your face was bothering me, too, and you deserved it. I only did it for the greater good."

"What greater good?" he wailed, "Lisanna, you better-"

She totally ignored every insult, threat, and curse he swore, waving him off like it was nothing. The white-haired girl turned to the blonde, Lucy becoming nervous as she examined her for a few moments.

"You're Lucy?" she asked, Lucy nodding as she gulped. A face-splitting grin appeared on her face seconds later, Lisanna jumping out of the pool, standing up, and tackling Lucy in a hug.

"It's so nice to finally meet you!" she cried, pulling away, "We're totally going to be best friends! I can also tell you _anything _about Natsu. There was this one time where-"

"Shut up!" Natsu growled from a distance.

"No!" she countered simply, "I'm trying to have a conversation with Lucy! Unless you're going to kiss her, let me speak!"

Natsu and Lucy blushed at Lisanna's sentence. Obviously, that wasn't going to happen, so she just kept talking as Lucy listened intently, Natsu trying to eavesdrop on their conversation. He heard a few bits here and there, and he got angry every time Lucy would laugh, thinking that Lisanna told her something embarrassing. Man, Lisanna really, really liked embarrassing him, even if they were best friends.

Meanwhile, yes, Lisanna did say a few embarrassing things about Natsu, but she honestly just wanted to get to know Lucy without her best friend getting in the way and saying something stupid. They even walked to one of the chairs on the side so the pinkette was out of earshot. Natsu looked pretty disappointed until it was his turn to be drowned by Erza and become distracted.

"Stop staring!" the redhead barked, "It's rude to stare without having anything to say! You moron!"

"So, Lucy," she laughed as she watched them, "How long have you known Natsu?"

"About two days actually," Lucy replied, "I didn't even know him until he came over to my estate."

"Oh, so then you're rich, too," Lisanna inquired, "Wait...what? Two days? Then why are you marrying him? Is he blackmailing you? Is forcing you?"

"More like our fathers are forcing us to," Lucy replied, "I mean, it's okay for now, I guess. My father has chosen worse suitors than Natsu. He's not the most sane one, but he is the sweetest."

"Oh, so you like him?" Lisanna asked smugly, a smirk on her face as she poked Lucy.

"No!" the blonde exclaimed, "I'm just saying that Natsu's okay! I don't mind him, but of course I would have preferred to marry out of love!"

"So you do love him!" Lisanna pushed even more.

"Lisanna-"

"I'm just messing with you," she teased, "but of course you're going to fall in love with Natsu someday. Just you wait."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Lucy sighed.

"Because it's true," Lisanna giggled, the snow-haired beauty grinning wildly.

"You're definitely Mira's sister," the blonde pointed out, "You two are really alike."

Meanwhile, after getting his head splashed in the frigid water multiple times (and finally swimming away from Erza) Natsu swam over to the edge of the pool, resting his elbows on the dry, concrete ground, propping his head up on his hand, half of his body still in the water as he watched Lisanna and Lucy. He saw Lisanna laugh and Lucy sputter furiously, and Natsu couldn't help but notice how cute she looked angry. Still, she did always seem angry at him. He wondered what they were talking about. What if Lisanna was telling her the story of how he broke his ballroom dancing (don't even ask)? What if she was telling the story of how he set the guest house on fire (which is why the Dragneels have no guest house)?

He tried to push the embarrassing memories out of his head when his mouth, which had a mind of its own, started to speak without him knowing.

"Lucy! Come swim with me! You're being boring!" he whined. Why!?

"You should try being nice for once in your life, Natsu," Lucy snapped as she walked over to him, hands on her hips.

"Fine," he huffed, "Please?"

"That's more like it," she approved, jumping in next to Natsu.

"You can swim right, Lucy?" the pinkette asked, turning to his fiancé.

"Yes," she replied as she shuddered, "You have no idea."

"Who taught you how swim?" he questioned further, "Igneel taught me. Well, he pretty much teaches me everything though."

"Aquarius," Lucy answered, her voice at almost a whisper.

"Who's that?"

"That woman is crazy. She was one of my mother's friends -yet I don't know how-, but she wouldn't teach me how to swim at all," she continued.

"What do you mean by that?" Natsu asked again.

"She'd try to drown me until I learned how to swim," Lucy spoke, a blank look in her eyes.

"Well, at least you didn't drown yourself on your own," Natsu chuckled.

"You've drowned yourself before?" she laughed, trying to contain her giggles.

"Why do you think I was taught how to swim?" he half-joked.

"Natsu, you're hilarious," Lucy sighed.

"I know," he sighed back mockingly, "Race you to the other side!"

"Ah! What-Natsu! That's not fair!" the blonde cried, chasing after him.

Mirajane and Lisanna watched from afar as Lucy desperately tried to keep up with Natsu, no match for his speed as they raced, afterwards splashing one another. Then after tricking Lucy to get out of the pool with him, Natsu wrapped his arms around her waist as he jumped in, taking Lucy down with him. It almost made them look like a couple. Almost.

"What was that for?" Lucy coughed as she arose from the water.

"I don't know," Natsu shrugged.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW!?"

"This marriage will totally work out, Mira," Lisanna pointed out, looking at her sister, exchanging mischievous grins.

"I agree, Lisanna; I agree."

**Author's Note: Failed attempt to create fluff! Anyways, sorry I didn't have time to update last week. I'm super busy, and my birthday is on Sunday! Yay! I'll try to update next week, but don't really expect it. It's the last week before winter break next week and all, so...yeah. I promise if I don't update next week, I'll try to make the chapters a little bit longer like this one.**

**I think my mind has gone mad. I was about to have Natsu set their kitchen on fire during the dinner scene. Maybe next time.**

**I've got to go now! I'm leaving for my band concert! Don't forget to review (please! I thought I could get more than two in the last chapter!) and follow and/or favorite! **

**Happy birthday to one of my best friends in the world!(Don't know if she reads this story!) Have a great day!**


	5. First Date

Chapter 5

It had been two weeks since Lucy Heartfilia moved in with Natsu Dragneel. In Lucy's mind, it had been two weeks of stupidity, humor, and recklessness, but still the best of her life. She was happy.

"Lucy! Hurry up! You're taking too long!" Natsu whined childishly, "I've been waiting forever!"

"No, you haven't, Natsu," she scoffed, walking out of their bedroom, "You're just too impatient. Be patient for once in your life!"

"I am not impatient!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"You know what? It's not even worth bickering with you. We're acting like children," the blonde sighed boringly, walking down the marble staircase with her idiot of a fiancé, stopping at the entrance. "So, you said we were doing something special today. What are we doing?"

"Going out on a date," he replied casually, Lucy gawking with the sudden urge to slap him.

"A-A date!? What's that supposed to mean?" she stuttered helplessly at Natsu.

"I don't know," he shrugged off like it was nothing, "Igneel says I have to get to know you better, since you're going to be my wife and all, and that we need to "bond". It's really weird of you ask me. Why would we need to go out on a date? Couldn't I just ask you questions about yourself?"

"Let's go!" Lucy interrupted hurriedly, not wanting to continue on with the subject, "I don't need to hear any more of this! Is Gray driving us?"

"Sadly yes," Natsu muttered with a disappointed look on his face, "I wish he wasn't. That idiot."

"Natsu, be nice!" his fiancé scolded, "Gray is a very nice person. You don't have to glare at him every time you see him. Do you know how much he does for you? He has to deal with your motion sickness every time you get in a car!"

"But I hate his guts!" Natsu complained back.

"Then I officially like Gray rather than you, " Lucy concluded, walking away, a look of shock on Natsu's face as he gawked at her.

"You don't mean that, Luce, right?" he asked hopefully.

"No, I totally mean it," she answered, waving him off as she walked to the car, Natsu quickly trailing behind her.

"Lucy! Why do you hate me so much?" Natsu yelled, a pout on his face as he watched the blonde's unfortunately unchanged expression.

"I don't hate you, Natsu," she replied sincerely, a gleeful hope in the pinkette's charcoal eyes, turning around to face him, his eyes meeting hers for the millionth time, "Just please, promise me you'll be nicer to Gray. He is your friend after all."

"I can't promise anything," he said honestly, getting what he now referred to as a "Lucy kick" from the blonde, landing in the soft grass yards away, wincing. For a girl, Lucy was pretty strong, just like Lisanna when she would try to torture him. Natsu lived a sad life. "But I'll do it for you, Lucy. Even if that means I actually have to be kind to him."

"Great!" she exclaimed, "Gray! We're ready!"

"Took you long enough," he muttered, opening the door for Lucy and slamming it before Natsu could enter.

"What was that for!?" Natsu cried, "I didn't do anything!"

"You're not worth opening the door for. Anyways, you're just going to spill your guts all over it," he stated plainly, getting into the driver's seat. Oh, how badly Natsu wanted to punch him.

"Gray! You get back here and say that to my face!" he cried, but instead being completely ignored by the said person, who was talking with Lucy.

"Natsu, hurry up and get in," an uncomfortable Lucy told him, fidgeting in her seat as she clutched the soft fabric of her white summer dress. "We still need to go on our d-date."

Following the blonde's command, Natsu hopped in the car as Gray put the key into the ignition, pulling out of the driveway slowly. Just as they were about to leave, a certain bluenette came rushing out of the house.

"Gray-sama!" she cried, "You forgot about Juvia! We must go on a date, too and make thirty babies together!"

"Oh, no!" Gray exclaimed, backing out faster and speeding away from the estate as quickly as he could. "I refuse to be associated with her! She is a living nightmare!"

"But she loves you so much, Gray-sama!" Natsu teased mockingly, even Lucy trying to stifle back giggles as Gray looked just as aggravated as ever.

"Will you shut up!?" he yelled furiously, almost hitting the car in front of them.

"No," the pinkette laughed.

-X-

"I'm stopping over here in the town square, " Gray explained to Lucy, obvious Natsu wasn't listening as he was probably daydreaming about something, "Call me when you want to be picked up. If you don't call, I'll be here at midnight."

"Okay," Lucy confirmed, "Thanks, Gray."

"No problem, Lucy; anything for a friend," he answered before driving off, leaving the engaged strangers to their date.

"So," Natsu started, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly, "I don't really have anything planned. What do you want to do?"

"I don't know," Lucy shrugged, "You pick. I've never really been to this part of Magnolia before."

"Really?" he exclaimed, looking at her curiously, the girl nodding honestly, "Well, then, we'll just look around and seem what interesting things they have for us to do."

"That sounds good," Lucy replied as they started to walk around, getting to know each other, Lucy nervously holding on to her purse since she had never been on a date before. Even if it was just Natsu, she still felt uncomfortable about it.

"You seem so uneasy," he chuckled after watching her movements, "Have you ever been on a date before?"

"No," she stated honestly, "Have you?"

"Actually, this is my first time, too," he confessed, the tips of his ears turning red, "Sorry if I'm really bad at this. It's just- I've never really liked a girl, you know? It's kind of hard to like the girls I went to school with; they were like family to me."

"You went to school?" Lucy laughed, "You don't seem like that kind of person."

"Excuse me?" Natsu gasped dramatically, "I'll have you know I didn't fail any of my classes! I almost did with one..."

"Yeah, because that's totally going to make you seem smarter," Lucy muttered sarcastically, "Great job, genius."

"Hey! It wasn't my fault!" he protested, "I am not good with creative writing!"

"Oh, no, you took creative writing!" Lucy laughed some more, "I can't even imagine! I should have been there!"

"Are you good at writing, Lucy?" Natsu wondered, "You seem like you could be with all that fancy language you speak."

"Not really," the blonde admitted, "but I do like writing stories. I used to write stories for my mother all the time before she passed away, and my father always rejected me and my writing, so I haven't really had any motivation. I do want to publish a book one day though. Sorry if I've been talking too much."

"No, no, it's okay," Natsu assured, "I don't mind listening to you at all. If you do ever write something again though, I want to be the first one to read it. Promise me that?"

"Okay," she whispered.

"Great!" Natsu exclaimed, dragging Lucy along as they picked up the pace, "Let's go get some food! I'm starving!"

"Ah! Natsu!" Lucy wailed helplessly, getting looks from strangers who the pinkette just glared at.

They walked through the door of a nearby café, sitting down at the nearest table, Natsu watching his uncomfortable bride-to-be trying to avoid his gaze, pretending to be focused on something else. Was this the same girl who was laughing at him a few minutes ago? He finally got her to open up to him, and now she was just sitting there like nothing happened.

"Lucy, is there something wrong?" he asked.

"No, it's just-"

"May I take your orders, sir, madam?" a waitress asked behind them, the two turning around to face a girl with short, silver hair, a sweet smile decorating her face.

Natsu decided to bug Lucy again, trying to get her attention by ordering a quarter of the items on the small menu, the blonde gawking at him once more as she looked at him curiously, the waitress seeming unfazed by the action. Ordering her entrée, she quickly folded the menu back up. Natsu mentally cheered in victory. Any reaction from her was fine with him.

"I'm really sorry about him, miss-"

"Yukino," the girl finished politely, "and I'm quite used to it actually. Natsu is a regular customer here. May I ask what your name is? I've never seen you here before."

"Lucy," she answered.

"Nice to meet you, Lucy," Yukino acknowledged, "Are you on a date with Natsu? I've never seen him bring a girl in here besides Wendy."

"Yes," Lucy mumbled, Yukino giggling at her.

"How did you two meet?" she continued on.

"Through our fathers," Natsu replied, "We're engaged now actually. I'm going to marry Lucy next summer."

"What?" Yukino screamed, "Why?"

"It's an arranged marriage," Lucy informed, "I'm here with Natsu now because we have to "bond". I mean, it could be worse."

"True," Yukino added, "Natsu's a mediocre suitor. I guess it could be worse."

"Lucy! What does mediocre mean!?" Natsu whined, the two girls giggling at the stupidity of the pinkette. Lucy really hoped he was acting, or he really was stupid. That idiot. Yukino opened her mouth to speak before being interrupted by someone.

"Yukino!" the voice snapped, "Get back to work before I take this time you're wasting out of your salary!"

"Coming, Angel!" she yelled back before turning back to the two, "I'll be right out with your order. It was really nice to meet you, Lucy. You must come back soon so we can talk some more!"

"I will, Yukino," Lucy promised, the waitress smiling at them before walking off. Lucy then turned to Natsu. "I like her. She seems nice."

"Yeah, she is," Natsu agreed, "and she works really hard. I don't get how she does it."

"It is called work, Natsu," Lucy teased, "Maybe you should try it sometime; you might like it."

"Hey," he protested, "I don't see you doing any work either."

"I don't need to," she countered, "Plus, we're lucky."

"Here you go," Yukino interrupted, setting the plates down, "Enjoy."

Natsu quickly devoured the meal in front of him, lunging at it, Lucy looking at him in disgust as she could hear the crunch of every bite he took. When he asked her what was wrong moments later, why she was staring at her that way, she just shook her head. He shrugged it off. At least she didn't seem uncomfortable anymore. Quickly, the two finished their lunch, paid generously for the check, said goodbye to Yukino, and walked out of the café for the rest of their date.

"So," Natsu said, "What do you want to do now?"

"I don't know," Lucy answered, "I thought I saw a carnival over here."

"Then let's go there," the pinkette offered with a weak smile, "Just for the record, Lucy, I'm not very good with vehicles."

"I know that," she recalled, "You make it quite easy to remember your quirks."

"Yeah, whatever," Natsu said hurriedly, "Let's just go!" It was his turn to be uncomfortable now.

They walked into the carnival quickly as Lucy would say, purchasing their tickets. Along the way, Natsu met up with one of his cousins, Gajeel.

"Hey! Gajeel!" Natsu called, the ebony-haired man casually trying not to notice, "Don't you ignore me!"

"Why? What did you screw up on this time, Salamander?" he sighed, walking over to them. Noticing the cowering Lucy at Natsu's back, he looked back to the pinkette. "Who's the chick?"

"This is Lucy," Natsu introduced, "and I think you're scaring her with your stupid piercings."

"My piercings aren't stupid!" Gajeel yelled, "Blondie ain't scared of me! Right?!"

That's when Lucy noticed that Natsu's family had quite the temper.

"Um," she started not knowing how to respond.

"Stop scaring my fiancé!" Natsu yelled. Gajeel then burst into laughter.

"Oh, so this is the unlucky girl who has to marry you," he laughed, pushing Natsu away to get to Lucy, "Sorry, blondie. I'm Gajeel, Natsu's cousin. Get used to my face; you'll be seeing lots of it."

"Because you're there so often it's like you live there," Natsu muttered under his breath.

"Okay, nice to meet you, Gajeel," Lucy said hesitantly. Yes, pleasant. Very pleasant.

"You, too," he replied, "Well, I have to run. Oh, and Salamander?"

"Yeah?" Natsu asked.

"Try not to throw up on any of the rides," he informed, Natsu's face turning pale.

"How do you get motion sick when you're not even on a ride yet?!" Lucy exclaimed, dissing her fiancé weakness.

"Good luck with that, blondie," Gajeel laughed once more.

This was going to be fun.

**Author's Note: I wasn't planning on updating today, but oh, well. Sorry if this is rushed or anything; I didn't have that much time to write. I'll update next week for sure. Short-ish chapter!**

**Please review, follow, and favorite! I'm surprised how well this story is going.**


	6. Carnival Rides and Surprises

Chapter 6

"I can't believe you!" Lucy exclaimed, "How do you get motion sick while watching children on a carousel?"

"I'm sorry," Natsu apologized for the thousandth time, clutching his stomach as he groaned, "If it moves even when I'm not on it, I get sick."

"Well, this date is certainly a flop," Lucy sighed, "Let's just go home, Natsu."

"Lucy, wait," Natsu cried, stopping her from walking away, grabbing her by the wrist, "Let me take you on the ferris wheel at least."

"But you'll get sick," she inferred, "I don't want that happening again. Maybe the carnival was not the best place to go for a date, Natsu. Let's just go home."

"Please," he begged softly, "Let me do this for you. Magnolia is beautiful in the nighttime. I know you love the pretty lights."

"Fine," the blonde replied, "but let's agree to never come back here again, okay?"

"Gladly," he answered, "I don't ever want to come back here."

They made their way across the park to the gigantic ferris wheel, Natsu trying not to get sick. It wasn't going to move all the time...Oh, no. A worker led them to the cart they were going to ride in, holding the door open and shutting it for them. Moments later, the ride started moving upward, Natsu's face becoming pale, Lucy sighing as she moved closer to him.

"I told you this was a bad idea, _Natsu,"_ Lucy scolded, "but you had to insist. Why?"

"Because," he groaned, "I made a promise to Igneel that I'd make you happy no matter what. And I never break promises."

"He made you promise that?" Lucy laughed, smiling, "Well then, Natsu, you've fulfilled that promise with flying colors."

"Did I?" the pinkette asked, the ride coming to an abrupt stop, "I don't think what I've done is enough yet. You have no idea what's in store for you yet, Lucy Heartfilia."

He pointed weakly to the direction of Magnolia, Lucy's eyes widening with pure delight. Lights twinkled like the stars in the sky, sometimes going off and new ones shining. She gasped at the beauty of the town in the night, pointing at it with a smile as Natsu watched her, chuckling at her ignorance of the world around her. Sure, Lucy was intelligent when it came to the books, but Natsu knew what the world around him was like, and he wanted to show her that.

"Look, Natsu!" she cried, "It's so beautiful!"

"I knew you would like it," he said cheerfully, wrapping an arm around her, Lucy surprisingly not pulling away like she always had.

"Is there something wrong?" the pinkette asked.

"No," she answered, "Why would you ask?"

"No reason," he replied.

The ferris wheel had started its descent minutes later, Natsu suddenly becoming motion sick again, collapsing onto Lucy's lap. She jumped at the sudden movement but let him, stroking the soft pink spikes in his hair.

"Do you feel any better?" Lucy asked worriedly.

"A little actually," Natsu admitted, "Is it okay if I stay like this Lucy?"

"I-I guess so," she stuttered, her cheeks tainting with pink.

"Oh, look," Natsu teased, "I've made you nervous again."

"Will you shut up?" she threatened, "I might as well throw you off the ferris wheel no matter what circumstances, even if it's your motion sickness that kills you."

"That's mean," he countered, "Someone's feisty today."

"Don't you start getting cocky!" Lucy yelled, pointing an accusing finger at him, Natsu laughing and saying that he was joking, only to get slapped in the face by the blonde.

"Lucy hates me," he mumbled childishly to himself.

-X-

Once they got off the ride, Natsu stumbling around as Lucy refused to help him, they called Gray, the driver arriving moments later.

"What happened to the pyro here?" he asked smugly.

"Don't even ask me," Lucy muttered, getting into the car as Gray laughed heartily, "It's his fault that he was foolish enough to go on the rides, even knowing that his motion sickness would get the better of him."

"Well, he did go on them for you, Lucy, didn't he?" Gray questioned, already knowing he was right.

"What are we talking about?" Natsu wailed sickly, "Gray, start driving, will you? Put me out of my misery quicker."

"You truly are an idiot, Natsu," he told the pinkette, stepping on the gas pedal, making the young Dragneel pass out almost immediately. Knowing that he was asleep for good, he continued to talk to Lucy. "I've never seen him care so much for someone before, Lucy. Besides Igneel really. Yes, he really may be an idiot, but he is the most loyal person I know."

"Do you care about him, Gray?" Lucy asked, the ink-haired driver not responding to the question, "Because I know you do. You just don't want to admit that. You act as if you hate him, but deep inside, I know that you two idiots care about each other."

"You've got some twisted mind there, Lucy," Gray scoffed, "Like I'll ever care about him. Well then, what about you, Miss Heartfilia, do you care about him?"

"I'll have you know that I do," she admitted, "Sure, I mean, Natsu is truly an idiot like you said, but he's the sweetest person I could ask for. I know he cares about me, so it wouldn't be right to not care about him."

"Are you sure that there is nothing more to that, Lucy?" he questioned further, not expecting that kind of answer from the serious blonde.

"I doubt it," she answered, "It's way too soon for that. Even if I were to have feelings for him in the future, I doubt that he will return them. He cares for me like I'm family now, just like everyone else."

"I don't see it that way," Gray commented, "He seems to care for you in a different way than the way he cares for his family. Every little detail that you do he pays attention to, and he stares at you a lot more. If anything, I bet he has feelings for you already; he's just too dense to notice it."

"Yeah, right," Lucy protested, her face blushing red, "Like he'll ever like me that way."

"You're blushing," Gray pointed out, a playful smile on his face, "Oh, Lucy, don't tell me you like him, too?"

"I do not!" she yelled, "You're just embarrassing me!"

"There's no one here," Gray chuckled, pulling up into the Dragneel's driveway, "Well, we're here. Might as well get inside before pyro here wakes up."

"Thanks for the ride, Gray," Lucy said, stepping out of the car.

"Anytime," Gray added, "NATSU! WOULD YOU GET UP ALREADY!?"

"Vehicles," the pinkette mumbled, waking up from his slumber, "I hate vehicles."

"Natsu, come on," Lucy coaxed, "It's late, and we should go inside."

"Fine," he replied, getting up and struggling to get out of the car. Once he made it out, it took a few seconds for him to regain his composure, by stumbling and falling, and follow the blonde inside.

-X-

"We're home!" Natsu called out to no one in particular, slamming the front door behind Lucy. Getting no reply, Natsu and Lucy made their way to the living room, finding Levy, Juvia, and Gajeel sitting on the plush chairs and couches, watching the television.

"Gajeel!" Lucy cried, "What are you doing here?"

"Didn't you listen to me a while ago, Luce?" Natsu asked, the blonde shaking her head, "Gajeel always seems to be here. He doesn't even notify anyone when he is; he just...comes."

"You got that right, pinky," the said male huffed, "Now would you get out of my way? I'm trying to watch television here!"

"No," Natsu challenged teasingly, "You're going to have to fight me first."

"Why you little-"

It didn't take long for the fight between the two cousins to start, Lucy and Levy watching from afar. Lucy then turned to her best friend, seeing the look on her face as she watched the two fight, the blunette seeming to be watching Gajeel a lot more closely. Lucy decided to test her theory.

"You do know Natsu's mine, right?" she asked, not getting the usually teasing response from her but instead a nod and a hum. Smirking to herself, Lucy shook her head as she thought about how to get Levy's attention.

"So, Levy-chan," Lucy teased, "You and Gajeel, huh?"

"Wha-" she stammered, "L-Lu-chan! It's-It's not like that!"

"You know, Levy-chan, I've never seen you have a crush on a guy before," Lucy taunted even further, making Levy turn an even brighter shade of red.

"Lucy!" she complained, "I-I don't like him like that! Please stop!"

"What do you see in him?" Lucy mocked, pretending to be disappointed, "What happened to the perfect prince of your dreams? The one that would sweep you off your feet?"

Levy's face was the brightest shade of red, looking like she was about to explode. Lucy chuckled, patting the small bluenette on the back.

"I'm just kidding, Levy," she assured, "but if you honestly want to date Gajeel I don't care. Just saying, he's not exactly the easiest person to talk to."

"I-"

"Lucy!" Natsu called, "Guess what? I won against this idiot!"

"You did not!" Gajeel protested, "And who are you calling an idiot, idiot!?"

"You!" Natsu countered, "And I'm done fighting! Lucy and I are going to bed! Come on, Lucy!"

"Well, good!" Gajeel retorted back, "That just means I don't have to see your stupid face!"

Natsu growled at him, seeming almost inhuman before Lucy stopped him. Grabbing his hand this time, she led them away from further aggravation (Gajeel) and to their bedroom and into their pajamas.

"Luce, what are you doing?" Natsu whined, "I was just about to punch the living daylights out of him!"

"I'd rather have you not," Lucy explained, "You two are way too childish. I would not want the house to burn down today."

"Hey," Natsu claimed, "Believe it or not, Gajeel is the one I get along with the most with my cousins."

"Really?" Lucy asked, surprised at the sudden statement, "I'd never actually expect that. Don't tell me you're lying, Natsu."

"I'm not!" he cried, "My cousins are jerks!"

"They can't be that bad," Lucy said, Natsu sighing, his head in his hands.

"You just don't know them yet," the pinkette warned, "You'll see."

"Oh, I'll see your definition of 'jerks'," Lucy mocked, "I'm going to bed."

"Do I have to sleep on he ground again?" Natsu asked, though he already knew the answer, grabbing the pillows and blankets and dragging them across the hard floor as he waited for her regular response. Yes, he was trying to be nice since it made Lucy happy and all, but it was so uncomfortable compared to the luxury he was used to! He hated it!

"What do you think, Natsu?" Lucy sighed. She, too was sick of this routine they did.

"I think that I should have the right to be able to sleep on my own bed," he informed playfully, stepping closer to the blonde who was not suspecting that kind of answer.

"Fine," Lucy challenged, "If you know when my birthday is and what's my favorite color, I'll let you sleep on your bed, and I'll sleep on the floor. Deal?""No," Natsu responded, "You sleeping in the same bed with me if I win."

"No!"

"Yes!"

I'm "Is there a way out of this?" she complained, amusing her pink-haired fiance. This was the first time he's ever seen her act like a child, and he was enjoying it. "What are you looking at?"

"You," he answered, quoting the blonde, "I've never seen you act so 'immature' before, Luce."

"I'm _not _acting immature!" she protested, crossing her arms.

"You sure are now," Natsu mumbled.

"I heard that," Lucy huffed, "and are you going to answer my questions or not?"

"Oh, yeah," he realized, "Your birthday is July 7th, and your favorite color's pink. Why'd you pick such easy questions, Lucy? I thought you refused to sleep in the same bed as me."

"How did you-"

"Igneel's told me things about you," he answered, Lucy's eyes widening. What? Seeing her expression, Natsu chuckled. "How do you think I know when your birthday is? I know that does sound weird and almost stalker-like, but he did. Him and your father want me to be this "perfect suitor" I'm not, so your birthday was of course drilled into my head for probably romantic purposes."

"I was never informed about this," Lucy breathed, "I was never told anything about you except your name."

"When did your old man break the news to you?" Natsu questioned.

"About a month before we met," she informed, "I took the news quite badly."

"So I've heard," he half-joked, "No wonder why I went through that. They probably don't want you running away or something. Thanks a lot for torturing me, Lucy."

"No problem," she replied sarcastically.

"C'mon, where's the spirit in that?" Natsu asked cheerfully, plopping down on the king-sized bed, patting the spot next to him, "I won that bet of ours, and now you're forced to sleep in the same bed as me!"

"How is that supposed to make me feel better?" the blonde questioned morosely, hesitantly climbing in, ignoring all of Natsu's joyful comments.

"I don't know, but it makes me feel better," he commented, Lucy's eye twitching in frustration. What happened to the sweet guy on the ferris wheel? Was this even the same Natsu? And when did the idiot get so annoying? Lucy then also realized something else, too.

"W-Wait, hold on, why would they tell you what my favorite color is?" she asked, finally realizing Natsu had not stated that reason.

"They didn't," Natsu responded, "You told me. Plus, it's quite obvious, Luce."

"You were paying attention to me?" Lucy asked curiously.

"Why wouldn't I?" he answered.

"Natsu, that's so sweet," the blonde gushed, Natsu smiling.

"Don't you pay attention to me?" he questioned, Lucy nodding her head. He pulled the covers over them. "Good. Sweet dreams, Luce."

"You, too, Natsu," she said back. Not thinking clearly, she planted an unexpected kiss on his cheek before he turned around, both of them turning crimson.

"Goodnight," he whispered again before quickly turning around to face away from her, touching the spot on his cheek where she kissed him as he blushed even more. Lucy, on the other hand, did not turn around, pondering about what she had just done. She stared at him, her face burning. It was just a kiss...nothing harmful.

No, nothing harmful at all.

**Author's Note: NaLu fluff! I just had to! Even I admit I enjoyed writing this chapter. I'm sorry about the pacing again if it feels rushed; I totally forgot about this until Wednesday. Since it usually takes a week for me to come up with a chapter, it was kind of hard to come up with everything in the span of 2-3 days, but luckily I'm on winter break. Plus, I was really busy since it is the week of Christmas and such.**

**Just to let you know as well, I'm not going to update this story next week. Since this has been my main focus for a while, I'm going to update and probably finish my other stories and perhaps post a one-shot that I hope you guys will read. It will return in two weeks.**

**Don't forget to leave a review (for NaLu!...or something), follow, and favorite! **


	7. Complicated

Chapter 7

After the one, tiny kiss on the cheek, things had gotten awkward between Natsu and Lucy. Yes, they still slept on the same bed, but they kept the farthest distance they could from each other. They would go everywhere together like they were supposed to, but it was silent, almost no conversation at all. Everyone saw the drastic change between them, wondering what happened to the happy-go-lucky couple they once saw. How could've one kiss changed everything so quickly?

It had been another three weeks, and Lucy had been staying at the Dragneels' for a little over a month now, already accustomed to the unusual way things were done there compared to her household. Suprisingly, she had not gotten any sort of message from her father at all since she packed up her bags and left. Did he really not care for her that much? Some father he was.

"Hey, Natsu," Lucy called out to the pinkette as they were walking down the stairs one day, his head instantly snapped out of his thoughts. Even if it was awkward, Natsu did always pay attention to Lucy.

"Yes, Luce?" he asked quickly, his head still down.

"I want to visit my father once more," she mumbled, seeing the gaping expression on his face as he looked back at her.

"I thought you said you never want to see him again," he recalled, running a hand through his naturally messy locks.

"Yes, but I haven't heard a word from him since the day we left," she pointed out, breaking eye contact with him once more.

"Are you sure you want to see him?" Natsu questioned again, a blush now coating his cheeks for some weird reason that he did not know of at all.

"I'm sure," Lucy replied, looking at him with a now determined expression on her face. "Even if I do despise him, I want to know what's going on."

"Very well," Natsu sighed, "I'll ask my dad about it."

"Thanks, Natsu," the blonde said, hugging him unexpectedly, his eyes widening at the feel of her touch. Lucy's grip on him was gentle, yet firm as she wrapped her tiny arms around his neck, standing slightly on her tiptoes. When she finally let go, Natsu felt his heart racing. He didn't want her to let go; it didn't feel right anymore without her presence. What was wrong with him? He had never felt this way before.

"I'm going back upstairs," Natsu announced quietly, climbing back up the grand staircase of the Dragneel estate.

"Okay," Lucy said back, "I'll be down here if you need anything."

The male made his way up the stairs slowly, reflecting on what had been going on the past few weeks. Lucy had been getting a lot more affectionate lately, hugging him here and there without him even knowing; he even caught her blushing a couple of times. Did that one kiss really do this much to them? Did it destroy what was a blossoming friendship between the two of them?

Lucy downstairs, on the other hand, was just downright embarassed, not even caring of the consequences. What was wrong with her? It's as if that kiss changed absolutely everything! Why couldn't she just go back to what she used to have with Natsu: smiles, laughter, and fun? Now it was just plain awkward between them. What had she done!?

"Hi, Lucy-nee!" Wendy greeted, the twelve-year-old smiling brightly, tapping the bonde on the shoulder as she whipped around.

"Hi, Wendy," Lucy greeted back with a wave, "I thought you were with your friends."

"They canceled on me," she informed sadly, "I have nothing else to do. What about you? Where's my brother?"

"He went upstairs," Lucy replied, "He seemed disappointed about something."

"He ditched you?" the bluenette cried, Lucy shaking her head, "Oh. It's just unusual that you're separated from him."

"Is it really that unusual?" the heiress laughed.

"Yes," she answered, "I always see you together with him, but not as much lately. Did something happen?"

"No, Wendy, nothing happened," Lucy mumbled.

"Well then why do you look so sad?" she asked, her eyes widening at Lucy's glum expression, "Are you fighting? I'm sorry I asked, but I'm just curious."

"We're not fighting," the blonde assured, "Things are just...kind of awkward between us at the moment."

"It looks like you need to take your mind off of it," Wendy inquired, "I know! You should hang out with me!"

"That sounds great, Wendy," Lucy laughed, walking back up the stairs with her fiancé's little sister. She could have fun without Natsu.

-X-

After spending about two hours in Wendy's room, Lucy and Wendy found themselves at the spa, much to Lucy's surprise. One thing her old house didn't have, not that she was complaining. She really needed this. The two were lying down, waiting for their signal that they may leave.

"Lucy," Wendy asked randomly after about an hour, waiting for her newly-painted nails to dry, "What do you see in my brother?"

"Why do you ask, Wendy?" the blonde questioned back, lifting an eyebrow, her eyes closed and relaxed. Who knew the Dragneels had a spa in their estate? She really needed to explore this place more.

"I don't know," she replied, "You seem really close that's all. Are you close?"

"I wouldn't exactly say we're close," Lucy responded, "We're friends I guess."

"It doesn't seem like that to me," Wendy claimed, "I see the way he looks at you; he'll basically do anything that you wish. I have to admit, you haven't known him for long, but I hope that you give him a chance. He's too dense to recognize his feelings."

"Feelings for what?" Lucy scoffed, "Food? Money?"

"You," Wendy replied, a blush immediately appearing on the blonde's face, "I know he's and idiot sometimes, but he makes promises and never breaks them. And I've never seen him so set on fulfilling a promise before."

"A-And what promise is that?" she squeaked, her voice seeming to go up an octave.

"To keep you happy no matter what," the bluenette stated simply.

_"Because," he groaned, "I made a promise to Igneel that I'd make you happy no matter what. And I never break promises."_

"W-Why are y-you so curious about the r-relationship between your b-brother and me?" Lucy sputtered nervously, trying to steer the conversation to something else. She was starting to see why she kissed him in the first place.

_"You were paying attention to me?" Lucy asked curiously._

_"Why wouldn't I?" he answered._

It was Wendy's turn to blush after hearing Lucy's comment.

"I-I," she stuttered, "It turns out I already have a suitor, and I want to have that strong bond that you and Natsu-nii have."

"At such a young age?" Lucy exclaimed, "Who is it!?"

"My best friend," Wendy answered with a crimson face, "His name is Romeo Conbolt, heir to his father's company."

"Well, at least you already know him," Lucy said, trying to cheer the girl up.

"At least," she repeated, "but I bet our relationship is going to be nothing compared to yours and Natsu's."

"What is up with you Dragneels and merging companies?" the blonde mumbled to herself, not hearing the last part of Wendy's comment.

"I don't know," Wendy admitted, Lucy jumping. They all have sensitive hearing, too? "Our father really wants to become powerful in the business world. He's a nice man though."

"He is," Lucy agreed, "You couldn't have asked for a better father."

"What was your father like, Lucy?" Wendy asked curiously, the coversation suddenly going downhill in Lucy's mind.

"You don't want to know what my father was like," Lucy assured.

"But I want to-"

"Ha! I found her!" a voice cried out suddenly, storming into the room and grabbing Lucy by the arm, pulling her up. Several other figures rushed in seconds later.

"Lisanna!" another voice boomed, "It isn't polite to grab an heiress like that, especially when you have already startled her!"

"But Erza!" the white-haired girl chirped, "I'm so excited for her!"

"That doesn't give you the right to scare Lucy!" Erza scolded, grabbing the blonde's other arm with her iron grip.

"Um, guys-" Lucy wailed, her arms probably losing circulation by the minute, but she was completely ignored.

"It's a good thing she's in the spa, too," Mirajane added excitedly, "It means it'll be easier to prep her!"

"But we mustn't let Natsu-san see her," Juvia reminded, the others gasping in realization.

"Oh, that's right!"

"Lucy, we have no time to explain, but you must come with us."

"Lu-chan, you're going to look so beautiful for Natsu!"

"What the-"

They dragged the blonde out of the room, much to her protest and interrogation, leaving a poor Wendy behind on her own.

"Hey! Guys!" she wailed, getting no response. Sitting up, she sighed heavily, chuckling to herself.

"Just friends with him, Lucy-nee. I doubt that."

-X-

Squealing excitedly, the girls made their way down the corridors of the mansion, passing Lucy and Natsu's room, Lucy still confused of what was going on. She was led into another room, probably one of their own, and the door was slammed behind her, leaving her in a room with probably a bunch of lunatics.

"What's going on?" Lucy demanded, "I want to know now!"

"Should I tell her?" Cana whispered to Erza, the redhead nodding in approval. "Well, blondie, since you Natsu seem to be going through an "awkward phase" right now, we've decided to force you two to go on a date."

"What?" Lucy protested, "There's nothing awkward between us!"

"Have you seen yourselves lately?" Cana snapped, "Because I don't think there's 'nothing awkward' going on between you two. It's probably the time when you just realized you like each other."

"Cana!" Lucy squeaked for the second time today, burying her face in her hands, "It's not like that!"

"Then what happened, Lu?" Levy questioned, a smug look on her face.

"I kissed him," Lucy confessed, her words barely audible. Mere seconds later, ear-splitting screams were filling the room. Thank Mavis for soundproofing.

"Oh, Mavis, what happened!?" Lisanna screamed, shaking the poor blonde.

"It was nothing much really," she replied calmly, "A kiss on the cheek, nothing more."

"Nothing more?" Juvia squealed, "You totally like him! Juvia is so happy!"

"I'm happy too, Lucy," Mirajane exclaimed, "No wonder you sleep in the same bed now!"

"THEY SLEEP IN THE SAME BED!"

"Yep," Mirajane informed, the girls moving closer to her to listen, "I used to always pick up the pillows and blankets Natsu slept on the floor with, but recently, he's been sleeping in the same bed as Lucy!"

"Lucy!" all of them accept Erza, who was blushing brightly, "Why didn't you tell me this!?"

"First of all," Lucy explained, trying to calm the hyperactive maids down, "he only sleeps in the same bed as me because he won the bet that I challenged him to. Second of all, what's wrong with Erza?"

"Erza's always like this," Lisanna answered, "People's love lives make her uncomfortable. Especially her own with Jellal."

"Lisanna," Erza growled, "I don't want to talk about that."

"I remember you telling me about Jellal," Lucy recalled, "Wasn't he the one that called you Erza Scarlet in the first place? What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing, Lucy," Erza waved off, "It's just...complicated."

"How so?" Lucy pushed, trying to get an answer out of her.

"Jellal has a fiancé," Mirajane whispered quietly in the blonde's ear, "His marriage is arranged, too, a few weeks before yours."

"Erza, I'm so sorry-"

"It's alright, Lucy," Erza assured, "That's not what's important right now. What's important is that we prepare you for your date with Natsu!"

"Do I have to go?" the heiress complained, "Where are we going anyway?"

"It's a surprise," Levy giggled, pushing the blonde into the bathroom, throwing an outfit at her before slamming the door. Knowing Lucy was going to rebel, she pushed a table (with the help of Erza) against the door.

"Hey!" Lucy screamed, pounding on the door, "Get me out of here!"

"Not until you change!" Levy yelled back, hearing grumbles coming from the other side of the door moments later.

Lucy walked out a few minutes later wearing a sleeveless white shirt with blue stripes in the center and a blue collar, a brown belt that went around her waist, a blue miniskirt that barely reached her mid-thigh. She was thrown a pair of black boots, and a matching blue ribbon was tied around a portion of her hair, creating a side ponytail.

"Should I really be showing this much skin?" she whimpered, "This outfit seems so...skimpy."

"You look great, Lu," Cana assured, patting her on the back, "We'll just pick something different the next time."

"There's going to be a next time?" Lucy groaned, examining herself in the mirror, "Huh, I don't look that bad."

"No, you don't," Juvia agreed, "Juvia thinks you look beautiful."

Lucy was about to answer when the door opened, another maid poking her head in. Laki, was it?

"Miss Lucy," she called, "Master Natsu is waiting for you downstairs."

"Tell him I'll be right down," she answered politely, Laki nodding as she closed the door behind her.

"No one in this household ever knocks, do they?" the blonde asked.

"Nope," Lisanna grinned, "We're just lucky there hasn't been any problems yet."

-X-

"Why do I have to go outside?" Natsu complained, being pushed out of the door by Gray. All he wanted to do was take a nap and think about Lucy, but no! He was rampaged by his "friends" and thrown out the door!

"Because you have to!" Gray ordered, "Now wait out here. Lucy's coming out any minute!"

"Lucy!" Natsu shouted, making a run for it, "I'm going back inside."

"Hey!" Gajeel grunted, blocking his cousin's way back indoors, "Salamander, what's wrong with you and blondie!? Why are you avoiding her? Like I care anyways."

"Nothing!" Natsu protested, making another failed attempt to go inside, easily blocked by Gajeel.

"Are you sure?" Gray asked, his eyebrows raised. Natsu, who hated feeling pressured, sighed.

"I'm just not in the mood to see her," he admitted.

"But you still like her, don't you?" Gajeel questioned, the pinkette nodding honestly.

"I told you he liked her," Gray snickered, pointing a finger at Natsu.

"I don't like her like that!" Natsu protested, a blush profound on his cheeks.

"Sure you don't," the ink-haired man drawled back, aggravating Natsu even further.

"I really want to punch you in the face right now," Natsu grumbled, his hands curled to fists at his side.

"I'd like to see you try," Gray challenged, stepping closer to the pinkette.

"NATSU! GRAY! GAJEEL!" a voice bellowed, sending shivers down their spines. They turned around to face Erza, who glowered at them with disapproval. "You're not fighting, are you?"

"No, ma'am!" Natsu and Gray replied weakly, putting their arms around each other like they actually got along.

"I was just hanging out with my best friend!" Natsu cried.

"Yeah, we weren't doing anything!" Gray agreed, "Right, buddy?"

"_I_ wasn't doing anything!" Gajeel scoffed, looking around, "Where's blondie and shrimp?"

"Who's shrimp?" Cana asked.

"Blondie's blue-haired maid," he answered, "You know, the really short and flat-chested one."

"My name is Lucy," the blonde mumbled, being totally ignored by Gajeel.

"Hey!" a voice behind Erza shouted. Erza moved to the side, revealing a furious, red-faced Levy. "I am short, but that doesn't mean you have to tease me about my chest!"

"I can do whatever I want," Gajeel countered smugly, "After all, I do have a higher authority than you."

"How dare you!" Levy screamed.

"It's alright, Levy," Erza consoled, "I'll talk to him later for you."

"You're not even going to use words, are you, Erza?" Levy inquired, a somewhat bored look on her face.

"I might," Erza inferred, thinking about all possible outcomes, "but probably not."

Meanwhile, when the arguing started between everyone, Natsu and Lucy plainly stared at each other, sometimes looking down or elsewhere. Lucy hadn't had an actual conversation with Natsu in a while unless she wanted something, which was not very often. When they were about to fall asleep, she could feel Natsu shift away from her uncomfortably, as if he didn't want to see her. When they would walk back to their room together, it was silent, no sign of conversation at all. This was how it was supposed to be, wasn't it? An arranged marriage where Lucy was just kept there in the house, completely neglected by the person she was married to. It was normal, she had heard it before, but why now did she suddenly feel hurt? Did Natsu finally realize what his true intentions were?

The screaming continued to go on and on, louder and louder for minutes. Somehow, everyone but Natsu and Lucy were caught up in some sort of argument. A few minutes later, Lucy felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" Natsu croaked, extending his hand out to her, "It's just going to get worse; we might as well leave now."

"Sure," Lucy muttered quietly, hesitantly taking his hand, feeling a burning sensation in her cheeks.

They walked around the block, enjoying each other's company in nothing but silence. Natsu hesitantly turned to the blonde, taking in her beauty for he could do nothing but stare. Since when did she start wearing skimpy outfits? He felt a blush crawl up his neck; what was wrong with him? He was just fine a few weeks ago, even when he saw her in a swimsuit!

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Lucy mumbled quietly, making Natsu jump. Was he still staring at her? He thought he looked away. He could feel her brown orbs looking at him, even if his head was down in embarassment.

"Sorry," he apologized sincerely, scratching the back of his neck. They walked a couple more steps before Lucy came to a halt, stopping Natsu in his tracks.

"Natsu," she demanded, "I want to ask you something, and you better answer me honestly."

"Sure," he encouraged, "What is it?"

"Why have you been avoiding me lately?" Lucy asked, choking back tears, "Was it something I said? Did I do anything to offend you?"

"No, Luce, you didn't," he hushed, looking in horror at the streaming tears that slid down her cheeks. He made her cry! He wasn't supposed to make her cry!

"Then why do you neglect me!?" she shouted, "I'm trying to be nice to you, Natsu, but this is too much!"

"I-I," he stuttered, "I'm scared, Lucy."

"What are you scared of?" she questioned, her tone a little softer this time.

"Ever since you kissed me, I've been feeling...weird lately. My face gets hot and turns red, I find myself staring at you, and I feel- I feel embarrassed," he confessed, trying to rush his words, "I don't like you seeing me this way. I think there's something wrong with me; I've never felt like this before."

Lucy turned a bright red, all the tears stopping. What the- did Natsu like her? What? Why?

"Do you know what's wrong with me, Lucy?" Natsu added innocently.

Lucy blinked multiple times, processing what Natsu had just said. He basically confessed he liked her, but why did she not feel right?

"No, I don't know what's wrong with you," Lucy lied, giving a small smile to cover up the lie, "Sorry." It felt too soon.

"It's okay," Natsu said, a cheerful grin on his face, "Look, I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have neglected you in the first place. I should have just come clean instead. So, what do you say? Are we back to normal now?"

_"I don't see it that way," Gray commented, "He seems to care for you in a different way than the way he cares for his family. Every little detail that you do he pays attention to, and he stares at you a lot more. If anything, I bet he has feelings for you already; he's just too dense to notice it."_

"I'd like that," Lucy agreed, returning the smile.

Gray and Wendy were right; he was dense. Maybe too dense. But she liked that about him. And maybe...she liked him, too.

But Lucy as well was too dense to notice that.

**Author's Note: A bit of a longer chapter I guess. I hoped you liked it!**

**I'm honestly still trying to figure out the genre of this story. I've been debating over Romance/Drama which I had in the first place, or Romance/Humor. I know it seems like more like a humor story right now, but there's going to be some (a lot) dramatic chapters in the future. What do you guys think? I don't know what's the bigger genre.**

**Lucy will be seeing her father again soon... Don't worry.**

**I'm estimating this story to be 20-25 chapters long. **

**Don't forget to follow/favorite! **

**Please leave a review about which genre it should be so I can immediately change it, or leave it the same.**

**Until next time!**


	8. Unsure Feelings

Chapter 8

"Natsu!" Lucy chirped cheerfully, shaking the pinkette as he groaned, using his pillow to cover his head, letting out a deep breath. Lucy had turned on all the lights in the room, blinding him since they were in the dark for so long.

"Lucy," he mumbled through the pillow, "What do you want? It's still early."

"No, it's not," she explained, "It's eleven in the morning already. You slept in."

"What?" he groaned, lifting the pillow from his head, revealing Lucy's beautiful face, a smile planted on her lips. "Why didn't you wake me earlier?"

"You looked too peaceful," she giggled, standing up.

Natsu groggily stood up after her, running a hand through his hair when he slipped on one of the blankets that fell on the floor, falling down and taking Lucy, who was a mere few feet away, with him. She landed on top of him, a crimson blush coating her cheeks as she looked away from the pinkette, mumbling something to herself.

"Sorry," Natsu apologized, still staying in their current position. He could feel blood rushing to his cheeks, too. Neither of them moved an inch.

"It's-It's fine," Lucy assured, finally making eye contact with him.

They ended up staring into each other's eyes for what seemed like an eternity. Lucy could feel herself inching closer to Natsu's face, getting lost in his onyx orbs, catching her breath. Her lips were a few inches away from his when the door slammed open.

"Natsu, Lucy!" Mira called, opening the door to find the couple in a very...interesting position. She squealed with delight when she saw that Lucy was on top of Natsu, their faces quite close to each other. "Oh, my Mavis, you were going to kiss! I'm so sorry!"

"No, we weren't!" the two chorused furiously, their faces red with embarrassment.

"Whatever you say," she waved off, starting to close the door **exit,** "Just come down for breakfast when you're ready. I was totally not expecting that!"

"Mira!" Natsu shouted, covering his face in humiliation.

"Your never going to live this down, Natsu," she teased, "Wait until Gray hears about this."

"No!" he protested, "Don't tell that stripper!"

"Fine, I won't," the maid bargained, "I won't if you kiss Lucy right this instant."

"You can go tell him," Natsu approved, rushing his words, gently removing Lucy off of him and shoving Mirajane out the door, slamming it. He turned back to the blonde, a heavy blush on his cheeks returning.

"I'm really sorry about that, Luce," he apologized again, "I tripped, and-"

"It's fine," she assured, her face the same color as Natsu's, "Let's just hope that doesn't happen again."

"Okay," Natsu agreed, nodding his head, "Why don't you get ready first? I can wait."

"Sure," Lucy murmured, going silent for a few seconds before speaking again, "Hey, Natsu?"

"Yeah?" he asked.

"You never want to kiss me, do you?" the blonde questioned. She looked offended.

"Why would you say that?" Natsu replied nervously.

"I don't know," Lucy answered, her voice small, "It's just when Mira dared you to kiss me, you backed away so quickly. Do I make you uncomfortable?"

"No," he protested, "You don't make me uncomfortable; I promise, Lucy. It's just that- Well, I don't exactly know how I feel about you yet."

"W-What do you mean by that?" she stuttered, not knowing how to take in the information.

"You'll figure it out soon enough," he teased, pushing Lucy into the bathroom, "Now hurry up!"

"Hey! You never answered my question!" Lucy accused.

"Another time maybe?" Natsu offered, trying to avoid it, making the blonde angry and slamming the door in his face.

"Idiot," she mumbled, looking at herself in the mirror, "Why do you make me feel this way?"

But in reality, Natsu had no idea what he was talking about either.

-X-

"Good morning, Lucy!" Wendy greeted cheerfully, sitting down in the chair next to her, "Where's Natsu-nii?"

"He's still upstairs," Lucy replied before feeling a pair of arms around her waist, her mouth covered by the said person. He put a finger to his lips, silencing the blonde, who surprisingly remained silent.

"Missed me?" he asked, sneaking up behind Wendy and tickling her, the bluenette's melodic laughter filling the air.

"N-Natsu!" the younger Dragneel squealed, giggling wildly as she tried to get out his grasp. It didn't work though; he was too strong. "Stop tickling me!"

"If you get out of my chair," he promised, tickling her sides.

"Why!?" she giggled, "There are other chairs!"

"But this one's next to Lucy!" he informed, trying to push her off playfully.

"There are other chairs besides that one, Natsu," Lucy deadpanned, trying to be mature but even she was stifling a smile, "Just let Wendy sit there."

"But I want this one!" he complained, stopping the playful torture on his little sister, "Lucy! She took my spot!"

"You're so immature!" she scolded back, laughing as well.

"But you love me anyways," Natsu teased, not knowing what he had just said. When realization of the words finally sunk in for the both of them, Natsu and Lucy's faces were the color of fire engines for probably the millionth time that day. Lucy choked on her breakfast, and Natsu just went dead silent.

"What just happened?" Wendy asked curiously, her laughter dying down, eyeing between her brother and the blonde, "You just went silent, Natsu-nii, Lucy-nee. Is something wrong?"

"That, Wendy," another voice said, breaking the silence, placing a hand on her shoulder, "is what happens when two people like each other."

"They like each other, Gray?" she questioned innocently.

"NO!" Natsu and Lucy screamed simultaneously, getting the attention of a certain redhead, who immediately rushed into the room.

"What's the matter, Lucy?!" Erza cried, running towards the blonde, "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"I-I'm fine, Erza," Lucy assured, "Gray just startled me."

"Everyone just ignores me," Natsu muttered, no one listening to him.

Unfortunately, Lucy picked the wrong choice of words.

"Gray Fullbuster!" the redhead barked, "What did you say to Lucy!?" She then turned to the blonde once more. "I'm so sorry that I wasn't there to protect you, Lucy. I beg for you to punish me!"

"No, Erza!" Lucy exclaimed, "There's nothing wrong, I swear!"

"Then why did you scream!?" Erza demanded.

Lucy, who was too embarrassed to repeat the situation out loud, whispered quietly in her ear, explaining the whole situation. Erza smiled, a huge grin decorating her flushed face.

"You two are too cute!" she exclaimed, walking out of the room, "I'll leave you to this now, Lucy."

"What the- Hey! Erza, no fair! You can't just leave me here! I demand you come back!" the blonde yelled after her, giving up on chasing the redhead. She turned back to Gray, a smirk smugly decorating his face, Lucy shooting a glare at him. He put his hands up in surrender, chuckling as he walked out of the room, leaving a poor, innocent Wendy behind with the two, dense, love struck idiots.

They unusually ate their breakfast in silence, not even bothering to look at each other, until the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Wendy offered excitedly, running to the door as Natsu and Lucy followed her curiously. She swung the door open, revealing a boy about her age, maybe a little bit older.

"Romeo-kun!" she exclaimed, pulling him into a hug which he gladly returned.

"Hey, Wendy," he laughed, pulling away from her and looking back up to Natsu, "Hi, Natsu-nii!"

"Romeo," Natsu greeted with smile. The boy then saw Lucy, the blonde smiling back kindly.

"Who's this?" he asked curiously, tilting his head to the side.

"That's Lucy," Natsu introduced casually.

"Natsu's girlfriend," Wendy sang teasingly, closing the door behind her as they walked inside. Lucy tried to blush off what she just said, but there was still a tint of pink on her cheeks. Couldn't anyone in this household think she and Natsu were just friends?

"You're his girlfriend?" Romeo asked curiously, "I thought Natsu-nii never had a girlfriend."

"I'm not his girlfriend," Lucy corrected politely, "I'm an acquaintance of his."

"Oh, so now we're just 'acquaintances'?" Natsu questioned curiously, teasing her again, a playful smile on his face, "I thought we were at least friends, Lucy!"

"Shut up," she ordered.

"That's not very ladylike, Miss Heartfilia," he taunted.

"Since when do you know anything about manners?" the blonde retorted back, only to widen the pinkette's grin.

"Someone's feisty today," he remarked, wincing in pain when Lucy stepped on his foot with her heel in anger.

"I told you," Wendy whispered into Romeo's ear as they could hear the insults fly, "Let's leave them alone. I don't want to be here when kiss."

"I heard that!" Natsu exclaimed, blushing furiously, the tips of his ears turning red, stopping their argument. Yes, they argued, but it was never serious. Then again, what was serious in this house?

"Heard what?" Lucy asked, Natsu's face an even darker shade of pink than it was before.

"Nothing," he brushed off, looking back to his sister, a fake innocent smile on her face. Apparently, she wasn't as innocent as Natsu thought. He returned the smile, leaning closer to her. "What about you, Wendy? How come I haven't seen you making out with your little boyfriend over here?"

"He's not my boyfriend!" the bluenette squeaked, "He's just my friend!"

"That's what you always say about Lucy and me," he said triumphantly, "What's the difference to you?"

"Natsu!" Lucy shouted, "You shouldn't talk to your sister like that!"

"Natsu-nii," Romeo whined.

"Well, uh...I don't know," Wendy mumbled, suddenly becoming quiet, almost as if she was two again, bowing her head in apology, "I'm sorry, Natsu-san."

"Oh, you poor thing!" Lucy cried out, running up and hugging the tiny bluenette.

"I want a hug, Lucy," Natsu complained, holding out his arms and walking towards her, the blonde easily dodging him, holding Wendy close to her.

"Lucy-nee," Wendy choked, "You can let go of me now."

"Sorry!" the blonde exclaimed, releasing the small girl from her arms and walking up to Natsu. She jabbed a finger into his chest. "You shouldn't be so mean to your sister, you know."

"Well, I had to get my revenge somehow," Natsu said, shrugging his shoulders, "She's my sister; I'm pretty sure she's used to it by now."

"But still!" Lucy exclaimed, "It's not fair to her! She was just teasing you!"

"And I was just teasing her," Natsu snapped, his mood suddenly turning sour, "Like you would know anything. You don't know what it's like to have a sibling. Heck, I bet you don't even know what it was like to have a real family back then! Yours was full of problems I can't even imagine."

Lucy was taken aback. She was furious now. Natsu knew her family was not a good subject to talk about. Yet, he still brought it up like it was nothing. Slapping him, she stormed out of the living room and swiftly climbed up the stairs, tears welling in her eyes. Why had she been crying so much lately? And why was the reason always him?

"Lucy, wait!" Natsu called from the bottom of the stairs, chasing after her. She ran faster, shaking her head as she made a run for their bedroom, shutting the door behind her and locking it. Barricading the door, she laid on their bed, ignoring all the comments coming from the other side.

"Lucy!" Natsu cried, "Lucy, please! I didn't mean it! You know I say stupid things all the time! You have to forgive me!"

She rolled her eyes, ignoring him as he continued to scream apologies at her. Couldn't he see that she wanted to be alone right now? Couldn't that idiot take a hint?

She needed to think. This was all Natsu's fault. Childish, idiotic, Natsu. Pink-haired, onyx-eyed, grinning Natsu. The boy who made her heart flutter, his grin stopping her in her tracks. The one who she could share anything with. If anything, he was probably the person she trusted the most. Persistent, stubborn, somewhat violent, immature Natsu...

"Lucy, could you please open the door?" he asked, "I want to talk to you."

He wasn't even her type. Lucy wanted a handsome (don't get her wrong; she thought Natsu was very handsome), charming, mature, dark-haired prince to sweep her off her feet like in the fairy tales, and yet Natsu was the one who was doing just that. She was falling for him little by little, but she never knew it. Until that very day, Lucy realized something she never had before.

"I like him."

**Author's Note: I'm really sorry for the short and really rushed chapter. I've been busy lately, and I had to work on a really long, boring project. I know this chapter isn't very good, but I tried.**

**I think I'll update next week. This is why I said in the first chapter I update on Fridays, just not every Friday. Sometimes I just can't.**

**I really hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did, and I really hope you can leave a review. My goal is honestly to get 100 reviews for this story, even if that will take a long time. Plus, they motivate me to do better.**

**Get ready for Chapter 10 coming in 2-3 weeks. **

**Don't forget to follow, favorite, and leave a review!**


	9. Clarity

Chapter 9

**You guys are going to love me for this...or hate me. Oh, well. This was my favorite chapter to write so far.**

"Lucy, please! Open the door!" Natsu shouted from the other side, pounding on the wood repeatedly.

He shouldn't have been so harsh on her. He knew very well what kind of havoc he could send the blonde into. What if she didn't want to speak with him anymore? What if she wanted to break off the engagement? What if- No, he couldn't like think that. He cared too much for Lucy that he would practically kill himself if he let her go. Banging his fist once more, he dropped to the ground, tears unknowingly falling down his face. Wiping them away, he tried to use a gentler tone as he spoke once more.

"Luce," he sobbed, "Open the door. I'm worried about you."

Those words shocked the woman on the other side. Lucy gasped quietly, her eyes widening slightly, breaking her train of thoughts. Natsu...was worried about her? The guy she realized she was in love with...was worried about her?

Mentally debating with herself and not noticing her own actions, Lucy hesitantly opened the door, her brown eyes instantly meaning with Natsu's intense, bloodshot gaze. She had never seen Natsu cry before. He stared at her for seconds before breaking and pulling her into a tight embrace.

"Natsu," she mumbled into his shoulder, "Have you been crying?"

"No," he protested weakly, hugging her even tighter as he hid his face in her soft air. "You scared me. Never scare me like that again."

"I won't if you never say that again," Lucy bargained, a small smile starting to appear on her face, "I'm glad that you care about me."

"Lucy," Natsu apologized, pulling away and taking her hands, looking her in the eyes, "I'm really sorry for offending you. I-I don't know what got into me. It's just...whenever I see you with someone else, even if it's just my little sister, I get angry. I get angry when you pay more attention to her than me. I'm sorry I just snapped like that. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorr-"

"You don't have to apologize," Lucy assured, "I get it."

"But I hurt you-"

"Idiot," she laughed, shaking her head, "I'm not that pathetic. It takes a lot more than a little insult to break me."

"Then why'd you run off?" Natsu asked, letting go of her hands to wipe the salty tears away from his face.

"I, uh," Lucy stammered, "I needed to think about something."

"What were you thinking about?" the pinkette questioned further.

"Nothing important," she lied. To Lucy, this was important. How is just noticing you like a guy not important?

"I don't trust you," Natsu stated, "but I'll let you keep this one to yourself. Just, please, tell me if something's troubling you."

"I will," the blonde promised.

And hopefully she'll keep that promise.

-X-

Autumn came a few weeks later, the tree's leaves turning vibrant shades of red and yellow. It was beautiful in the Dragneel estate, the many trees that covered the lawns now in a variety of colors. Unfortunately, that meant raking leaves that fell every few seconds would take forever.

"Why am I even out here?" Natsu whined, looking up at the sky on the crisp autumn morning, the frigid wind blowing and messing up his already messy hair, "I'm the heir to the Dragneel company for Mavis's sake! Why do I have to rake leaves out of all people! This is so stupid!"

"You're not the only one complaining, pinky," Gray muttered, shifting the rake he had from one hand to another, "How do you think I feel when I have to drive you to all those stupid places you want to go to?"

"They're not stupid, stupid!" Natsu defended.

"An excellent comeback by the heir to the Dragneel fortune," the ink-haired driver deadpanned, "When you take over, you're father's company is so screwed."

"Don't say that, Gray," Lucy scolded gently, placing a hand on Natsu's shoulder.

"You're only defending him because he's your boyfriend!" he huffed. Lucy shook her head. He was as immature as Natsu sometimes.

"He's not my boyfriend!" she protested. Honestly, she was so used to hearing that she wasn't even embarrassed anymore.

"Please," Gray scoffed, "I see the way you look at him. It's quite obvious you like each other."

"You can believe whatever you want," Lucy said, shaking her head, taking her hand off of Natsu, "but Natsu's just my friend."

"Oh, I'll believe what I want; just you wait until I'm right," he retorted, taking off his shirt, his pants about to come off.

"Ah, Gray!" Lisanna shrieked as she walked out of the house, rake in her hand as she covered her eyes with the other, "Your clothes!"

"What the- When did this happen!?" he yelled, immediately searching the leaf-covered ground for his shirt, "Why didn't you two tell me!?" He pointed a finger at Natsu and Lucy, who were completely unfazed with his indecency.

"Didn't really notice," Lucy replied, "You strip so quickly it's inhuman. I'm surprised you're not cold."

"I really just didn't care," Natsu answered casually, shrugging his shoulders, then poking him with the wooden end of his rake.

"Well, you should!" Gray exclaimed, putting his shirt back on and buttoning his pants, "If Erza came out here I would be dead man!"

"Who would be a dead man?" Erza interrupted from next to Lisanna, a plate of strawberry cake in her hand as she chewed on the dessert happily. Gray and Lisanna both jumped for different reasons.

"Hi, Erza!" Lisanna chirped excitedly, "When did you get here?"

"E-Erza!" Gray stuttered nervously, "Hi. When did you get here?"

"Hello to you, too, Gray," the redhead greeted, Gray sighing in relief. He was spared. Out of the blue, her mood became serious. "WHY ARE YOU ALL JUST STANDING HERE!? GET TO WORK! THESE LEAVES AREN'T GOING TO RAKE THEMSELVES!"

"Yes, ma'am!" everyone chorused, immediately getting to work. No one was going to die today. Later on, Mirajane, Levy, Juvia, Cana, and a few others joined in, too. It wasn't that bad.

"Hey, Natsu," Lucy whispered, raking the sea of leaves next to them, "Why are we doing this again?"

"I don't even know," he whispered back, "My dad says if we want to visit your estate, we'll have to work hard, or he won't allow us to."

"And doing chores helps how?" she asked.

"Beats me," he answered, "but I'd much rather be on a date with you."

Lucy face turned bright red, a blush on Natsu's cheeks as well. At least he was honest. She could feel her heart racing, every beat pounding in her head. Of course, only Natsu could make her feel this way by using one simple sentence. Honestly, she found it adorable that he wanted to go on a date with her.

"Hey," Natsu hissed in her ear teasingly, "Stop thinking and watch this."

"Okay," Lucy mumbled hesitantly. What was going through that childish brain of his this time?

"Yo, Erza!" Natsu yelled from across the huge lawn, the said person's head snapping up at the sound of her name. She turned to Natsu. "Lucy and I are going on a date now, so we'll be leaving. Is that okay with you?"

"That's perfectly fine!" she shouted back, "Have fun!"

Natsu put an arm around Lucy, walking towards the inside of the house. Seeing Gray's gawking expression, he smirked.

"And that's how you get out of chores, Luce," he finished once they were inside, only making her sigh.

"Grow up, Natsu," she sighed, meaning to be scolding but instead having a smile on her face. "I bet you've never done a chore in your life, but then again neither have I. See what they do just for us?"

"I know, I know," the pinkette said, "but is it that wrong to want to go on a date with my fiancé?"

"Fine, whatever," Lucy waved off, "I'll let you go just this once, but next time we're helping them."

"You act as if you're my mother sometimes," Natsu mused, draping an arm around her again. This time she smacked it, prying his arm off of her.

"Don't do that," she ordered.

"Why not?" he countered smiling. She opened her mouth to reply before they heard the conversation going on outside.

"Hey, Erza!" they could hear Gray yell, "Why do they get to leave, but we don't?"

"Because Natsu and Lucy are going on a date! We are not going to ruin anything in the topic of their relationship!" Erza replied loudly, "Must I have to tell you twice, or do you understand?"

"I understand," Gray gulped, keeping his head down as Erza glowered at him. This wasn't exactly fun for him.

"Oh, Mavis," Natsu chuckled, "Erza told him."

"Stop!" Lucy giggled, "You're making me laugh!"

"I won't stop," he countered, "You don't laugh much; this is one of the times where I'll get to hear that adorable laugh of yours."

Lucy stopped laughing.

"You think my laugh is...adorable?" she asked, her head titled slightly to the right. She smiled at Natsu, who seemed so embarrassed.

"N-No," he stammered, "I-I didn't mean it like that! Luce! S-Stop it! Stop smiling like that! You're embarrassing me!"

"And how am I embarrassing you?" the blonde teased, leaning closer towards him, "There's no one here, Natsu. No one's watching."

"Y-You're-" her fiancé stuttered wildly, throwing his hands in the air out of frustration, "I give up! This is pointless." Lucy giggled again.

"Do you even know where we're going, genius?" she questioned. Natsu scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.

"No, not exactly," he replied, "You pick."

"How am I supposed to know?" Lucy asked, looking at him like he was crazy, "I don't know where to go in Magnolia. Did you forget all that isolation I grew up in?"

"Then what's your perfect date?" Natsu inquired.

"Well, uh," his fiancé started to respond, "You see; I've read way too many books, and I've kind of been picturing my perfect date since I was little." She buried her face in her hands. "This is so embarrassing."

"Go on," he pressed, a smirk on his face. He really wanted to hear this.

"I-uh. Well...I've always imagined my perfect date like the clichés," she admitted, a blush of embarrassment on her cheeks, "I run into this one guy out of coincidence, he asks me out, we go somewhere fancy to eat, we take a walk in the park, and he kisses me goodnight under the stars."

"Well, I can't exactly make that happen," Natsu laughed, "but I'll tell you what. Meet me down here in half an hour."

"What do I wear?" Lucy asked, wondering why she was fussing about something so silly as her clothes.

"Whatever you want," Natsu told her, "Just don't be late."

"I won't," Lucy promised, kissing his cheek. They had also gotten used to this. In fact, Lucy kissed Natsu's cheek so often it didn't seem to mind him anymore, even if he still got flustered.

-X-

"Where are we going?" Lucy asked, almost as if she was complaining, "And why did we take the train, Natsu? You never do well with vehicles!"

"T-The house was low on s-staff," he groaned weakly, his head in Lucy's lap. "Plus, Gray couldn't drive us since E-Erza's forcing him to rake leaves."

"Okay," Lucy murmured, stroking his pink locks, "Don't talk anymore. You're going to make yourself more sick." Getting no reply, Lucy could hear soft snores coming from him. He fell asleep fast. Huh.

"L-Lucy," Natsu mumbled in his sleep a few minutes later, the blonde humming at the sound of her name. She also got no response, indicating he was sleeping soundly. "L-Lucy, don't l-leave me." Her eyes widened. He was dreaming about her?

"I won't, Natsu," she whispered, kissing his forehead.

She waited on the train for what seemed to be a couple of hours, looking outside the window to admire the scenery and passing time on her phone, Natsu still in her lap the whole time. He had woken up a few times before, only to be hit by a wave of nausea and falling back asleep or making a run to the bathroom to puke. Good thing they had their own train car.

"Are we almost there yet?" she whined, mentally scolding herself. Natsu was seriously starting to rub off on her. Just this morning she was insulting Gray for no apparent reason.

"And usually you're the one telling me to be patient," he recalled, a confident smirk on his face before his motion sickness hit him once more, "It's only a two hour train ride."

"Where are we going?" the blonde asked.

"Acalypha," Natsu answered after picking himself off the floor, finally agreeing to tell her. Lucy's eyes widened, her mouth agape. Acalypha? He was taking her back there? Did he know?

"Um, Natsu," Lucy called out, her voice seeming to raise an octave, "Did you say Acalypha?"

"Yes," he replied, "It's a quaint town about two hours away from Magnolia. It's beautiful there." Seeing Lucy's glum expression, he put his hand on her shoulder. "Is something wrong, Luce?"

"No, no, it's nothing," she shook off, wiping the tears that were now streaming down her cheeks, "It's just- I grew up in Acalypha before moving to Magnolia. I have a lot of memories here, especially ones with my mother when my family was still-" She seemed to trail off after that. "I'm sorry you have to see me like this, Natsu."

"'Y-You don't need to apologize for anything, Luce," Natsu assured, wrapping his arm around her tightly, pulling her closer to him. Her head rested on her shoulders; Lucy didn't want him to let go of her. Ever. "Well, I think we should make new memories in this place then."

"What are we going to do?" Lucy questioned for probably the hundredth time.

"I keep telling you you'll see," he chuckled, burying his face in her blonde locks. Just by inhaling her scent, he could feel the motion sickness fading away.

Suddenly, the train stopped, the two lurching forward in surprise, Natsu falling to the ground with a green face.

"Thank Mavis," he sighed in relief, lying on his stomach.

"You're still on the floor, you know."

"I know!"

-X-

Walking through Acalypha, Lucy felt like she was having an emotional breakdown. She greeted everyone she still remembered and who fortunately remembered her, too with a great passion and joy. Of course, with Natsu at her side she was questioned, but she answered every single thing they had asked her. One woman even asked if Natsu was her husband, which she denied immediately, a blush appearing on her cheeks. Fortunately for her, Natsu seemed completely oblivious to the whole thing, walking around town and greeting some of the locals that he already knew, Lucy introducing him to others. Compared to the urban Magnolia he was used to, Acalypha was more of a bucolic town with a peaceful lifestyle. He absolutely adored it.

"Are you having fun, Lucy?" Natsu questioned, raising an eyebrow. His hand was once again intertwined with hers.

"What do you think?" she retorted, a smile still present on her face.

"I don't know what to think," he admitted, "You should have told me you were from here."

"Well, I'm sorry your father doesn't tell you everything about me," Lucy said sarcastically, looking to the horizon of the setting sun. They had spent the whole day here, and she didn't even know it. "Perhaps we may have crossed paths in the past, but we don't remember."

"Maybe," Natsu agreed, nodding his head, "I used to come here all the time. Why would you ever want to leave this place?"

"My dad thought this was too slow of a pace for life, and he wanted to move, mostly because of his work," Lucy responded, shrugging her shoulders, "Plus, our company would be way more recognized if we moved to a city like Magnolia."

"That's unfortunate," the pinkette consoled.

"It's okay," Lucy assured, "I have you, and Magnolia is my home now." Natsu smiled, a wide grin appearing on his face.

"I'm glad to hear that," he added, pulling her into a hug which Lucy gladly returned.

He had led her to a valley on the outskirts of town after about an hour, grabbing her hand as he pulled her along, Lucy panting heavily as she tried to keep up the pace. They stopped at the top of a hill, both gasping for air. Natsu had an endurance she was afraid that was never going to give out.

"Natsu," she gasped, putting her hands on her knees, the leggings that were under her sweater dress were now covered in sweat. "Why do you always have to run?"

"So we never miss anything," he replied, "I want to spend every moment of my life to the fullest."

"I can see that," Lucy agreed, "You've made that very clear."

"Then why did you ask?" Natsu questioned back. Lucy merely shrugged, sitting on the blanket Natsu had laid out a few moments before. She was glad she decided to wear something warm, for the temperature was dropping rapidly from where it was in the morning. Still, she shivered since the coat she was wearing almost did nothing to prevent her from freezing.

"Are you cold?" he asked his fiancé, Lucy nodding her head as she shivered, rubbing her hands up and down her arms as she tried to create heat, her teeth chattering. "Come here." Natsu gestured for her to come closer to him, Lucy eagerly obeying as she scooted next to the pinkette. Natsu moved so that she was in front of him, wrapping his arms around her waist as he held her gently. Lucy felt heat almost immediately rushing to her body, sighing in relief that she was warm again.

"How come I always end up like this with you?" she murmured, engulfed in Natsu's abnormal body heat, almost wanting to fall asleep, "And why are you always so warm?"

"The answer to both of those questions is I don't know," he laughed, feeling Lucy lean into him. Natsu blushed slightly; over these past few months, they had become a lot closer. Lucy seemed to trust him with about almost everything. When he felt her head starting slip closer to the ground, he shook her gently. "Hey. Don't fall asleep yet."

"Why not," Lucy mumbled, her eyes still closed, "It's late, and I'm tired."

"You still have to watch the stars with me," Natsu begged, shaking her even more until she hit him in the leg.

"No," she whined childishly, "Natsu, I'm sleepy. Let me sleep!"

"No," Natsu mocked with the same tone, "I'm awake, and you'd better be, too, or I'll just let you go and freeze to death."

"I'm up; I'm up!" Lucy cried groggily, "Why do you have to be so mean?"

"I'm not being mean!" Natsu protested, looking up at the sky, "I took you here for a reason. Look up."

Lucy gasped at the sight in front of her. Natsu had laid both of them down on the blanket so they could get a better view of the sky, millions of bright stars twinkling like diamonds. She felt as if she was five again seeing this wonderful sight for the first time with her mother and father, but this time, it was with Natsu. Natsu. She looked to the pinkette who seemed just as happy was, a grin on his face as he observed the stars. Lucy smiled, letting out a laugh, giggling. Natsu looked back at her.

"What's so funny?" he asked, wondering why she was laughing.

"Nothing," Lucy answered, "It's just- I've never been this happy in such a long time. Thank you, Natsu."

"No problem, Lucy," Natsu chuckled.

"This night couldn't get any better," the blonde sighed, resting her head against his shoulder as they sat up.

"Yes, it could," he challenged.

"How?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"If I did this," Natsu said, dipping down to capture her lips with his own, kissing her softly as Lucy immediately kissed back. He admitted mentally he'd been wanting to do this for quite a while now, feeling that a giant weight had now been lifted off his chest. Lucy found her way into his hair, his muscular arms finding their way to her waist as he continued to kiss her. Both of them never wanted this moment to end. Never in a million years. When they had pulled away, Lucy felt disappointed that she was now cold again. Unfortunately, there was the necessity of air. Making eye contact with Natsu, she could feel her face flush as his expression mimicked her own.

"So," he trailed off, scratching the back of his neck, suddenly apologizing, "I'm really sorry about that, Luce. I-I don't know what got into me."

"It's okay!" Lucy assured, "I don't mind. I wouldn't have my first kiss stolen by anyone else anyway."

"Good," Natsu agreed, "because it was my first kiss, too."

"Really?"

"Really."

And that was the truth. Lucy was glad Natsu loved her back.

"Hey, Natsu," Lucy said, "You know what I said about that perfect date a while ago?"

"Yeah," he answered.

"Well, I was wrong," she admitted, "That's not my perfect date. This is."

**Author's Note: Was that kiss too soon? I don't know. To me, it felt right. I really like this chapter, which is weird since I never really like my writing.**

**Chapter 10 is coming in 2 weeks... I want to make it a good chapter. This chapter had the romance, the next one is having the drama.**

**Don't forget to review (please?), and follow/favorite!**


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